Carmouche was the first openly lesbian fighter in the UFC and was praised by company president Dana White for coming out.

[10] Prior to becoming a professional MMA fighter, Carmouche spent five years in the Marine Corps as an aviation electrician[11] during which she did three tours of duty in the Middle East.

[9][12] Her nickname is Girl-Rilla, earned from her muscular physique and strength that outperforms male counterparts.

[17] Carmouche returned to the promotion at Strikeforce Challengers 12 on November 19, 2010,[18] where she defeated Jan Finney via TKO in the third round.

[19][20] On February 23, 2011, it was announced that number one title contender Miesha Tate had suffered a knee injury and that Carmouche would step in on short notice to face Women's Bantamweight (135 lbs) champion Marloes Coenen on March 5, 2011, at Strikeforce: Feijao vs.

[22] On July 22, 2011, Carmouche faced Sarah Kaufman at Strikeforce Challengers: Voelker vs.

It was confirmed by White that Carmouche would be challenging Rousey for the Women's Bantamweight title at UFC 157.

In the early part of the first round, Carmouche locked in a standing rear-naked choke/face crank on Rousey.

However, Rousey escaped and eventually finished the fight by armbar with 11 seconds left in the first round.

[30] Carmouche was expected to face Miesha Tate at UFC on Fox 8 on July 27, 2013.

[42] Carmouche faced Alexis Davis in a women's flyweight bout on December 9, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 123.

[50] On December 6, 2019, it was announced that Carmouche had been released from the UFC despite signing a new contract after the failed title bid.

[56] Carmouche faced former Invicta FC Flyweight World Champion Vanessa Porto on April 9, 2021, at Bellator 256.

[63] In a title rematch, Carmouche faced Juliana Velasquez again on December 9, 2022, at Bellator 289.

[68] Carmouche defended her title against former champion Ilima-Lei Macfarlane on October 7, 2023, at Bellator 300.

[75][76] Carmouche faced Taila Santos in the semi-finals of the 2024 Women's Flyweight tournament at PFL 7 on August 2, 2024.

[82][52] She has a tattoo on her left side representing the Chinese zodiac symbol of her mother and sister.

[83][84] Carmouche is the spokesperson for Medical Marijuana Inc. on the cannabidiol (CBD) therapeutic benefits for athletes.