Valérie Létourneau, who went five rounds with UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 193 in November 2015 with the title on the line, is the latest former UFC fighter to join Bellator MMA. Létourneau announced the news on her official Twitter today, noting that she’d be taking part in the promotion’s flyweight (125lbs) division.
The Canadian stormed onto the scene in the UFC, going 3-0 before getting her shot against Joanna Champion. However, after dropping a unanimous decision in the title fight, she lost twice more before parting ways with the promotion earlier this year. Notably, one of those two losses came in the one and only UFC flyweight fight to date, against Joanne Calderwood at UFC Fight Night 89 in Ottawa last June.
I'm excited to announce that I've signed with @BellatorMMA and will join their flyweight division! pic.twitter.com/WyvFWLqQ1W
— Valerie Letourneau (@ValTroubleMMA) April 28, 2017
Létourneau (8–6) joins a flyweight division stacked with names like Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, Anastasia Yankova, Lena Ovchynnikova, Emily Ducote, and Keri Melendez, wife of Gilbert Melendez.
No word has been given on when she’ll premiere for the promotion. Her signing also brings up the question of whether Bellator MMA might make a return to Canada, where it has not hosted a show in recent years. Letourneau, alongside Canadian welterweight star Rory MacDonald, would make a formidable double bill North of the border.
