Exclusive: Liz Carmouche dismisses Ronda Rousey's CTE claims about Holly Holm fight but names her in Mount Rushmore

Liz Carmouche recently shared her thoughts on Ronda Rousey blaming concussion and CTE for her loss against Holly Holm at UFC 193 in Nov. 2015. Rousey was notably handed the first loss of her career and lost the UFC women's bantamweight championship.

Rousey went up against Carmouche in the first-ever women's MMA fight in the UFC in Feb. 2013. 'Rowdy' won via first-round submission. After beating Carmouche, Rousey went on a five-fight win streak before being booked against Holm.

While many expected Rousey to win, Holm secured a second-round knockout to beat 'Rowdy' and take home the bantamweight title.

In a recent interview with Valeria Lipovetsky, Rousey claimed she suffered from concussions going into the Holm clash and blamed years of cognitive damage for the loss. Additionally, she speculated that a bad weight cut also contributed to her losing the fight.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Carmouche weighed in on Rousey's comments. 'Girl-Rilla' downplayed Rousey's concussion claims, but acknowledged that 'Rowdy's' mindset could've taken a hit after the first loss. She said:

"I am not sure it were just concussions that contributed. The demand that was placed on us for the media lead-up to our first fight was a lot. So, for her to maintain and keep that - I'm sure over time, it definitely wore her down. I think your first loss gets into your head."

Carmouche continued:

"When she experienced her first loss, to go back in there and have a second loss - that was something she wasn't in the headspace to be able to do everything she needed to go out there and get that win. And then, I'm sure if she had a concussion on top of that, she definitely wasn't in a good place for it."

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Liz Carmouche names her Mount Rushmore of women's MMA

In the same interview, Liz Carmouche revealed the fighters who made it to her personal Mount Rushmore of women's MMA. Despite not giving Rousey's CTE excuses much credence, Carmouche named the Olympic bronze medallist judoka one of the most influential female fighters in mixed martial arts.

Speaking to Sportskeeda MMA, 'Girl-Rilla' also named herself alongside MMA greats like Amanda Nunes and Holly Holm and said:

"I think Ronda is a no-brainer to me... I think it takes two to tango, and there's no way I shouldn't go up there, too, with what I've achieved in UFC, Bellator, and PFL... I think that Amanda Nunes is the one that definitely has to be up there and Holly Holm as well."

Carmouche is on an impressive eight-fight win streak and is coming off a unanimous decision win over Juliana Velasquez at PFL 1 last month. Her professional record stands at 21-7.