Jena Bishop’s Grappling Secured a Place in the Final
Jena Bishop submitted Ekaterina Shakalova at 2:07 of the second round at INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita on June 20, 2025. The rear-naked choke sent Bishop into the PFL World Tournament women’s flyweight final, where Liz Carmouche also qualified that evening.
The opening round offered repeated submission threats
Shakalova initially pursued a takedown, but Bishop responded with a guillotine attempt and later completed a trip into mount. She moved toward the back and threatened the neck before Shakalova escaped.
The exchanges continued with Bishop attacking the legs and working from underneath. Shakalova landed from top position, but had to defend a succession of arm, triangle and leg-lock attempts.
A fresh takedown created the decisive position
Bishop brought Shakalova down again in the second and returned to mount. She quickly advanced toward the back as Shakalova tried to roll through the transition.
That movement exposed the neck. Bishop secured the choke together with a body triangle and forced the tap, ending the semifinal before the contest reached its final round.
A second tournament victory completed the route
Bishop had advanced by defeating Kana Watanabe in April after reaching the previous year’s playoffs, where she lost to Dakota Ditcheva. Shakalova entered after a short-notice first-round finish of Julianna Velasquez.
The semifinal matched two fighters with different routes into the bracket. Bishop’s repeated transitions and ability to renew her submission attacks ultimately converted an active opening round into a decisive second-round finish.
Sources
- PFL: June 20 Wichita venue, confirmed results and finalists
- PFL: first-round threats, second-round back take and verified 2:07 submission
