Bellator women’s flyweight competitor Valerie Loureda made a huge statement in her mixed martial arts (MMA) debut last weekend (Sat. February 16, 2019). Loureda, a Taekwondo black belt, defeated Colby Fletcher via first-round TKO. Before making her professional debut, Loureda went 2-1 in amateur competition. All three of those fights went the distance.
However, now that she’s fighting for the second-largest MMA promotion in the world, Loureda wants to be known for her skills inside the cage. Not for her strong Instagram following and her “pretty face”. Speaking on “The MMA Hour” recently, Loureda explained why she’s attempting to change that narrative (via MMA Fighting):
“The thing is that I don’t want to be recognized for being marketed because before anything, I’m a fighter, and I’ve always told myself this: ‘Valerie, yes, you can be pretty. You can be a woman. You can be feminine.
“But if you don’t win, if you don’t knock out, if you don’t fight there, you’re no one in this sport.’ So that’s always been the biggest thing in my head,” Loureda said. “I need to be the best fighter. Anybody in front of me I have to beat. That’s why everyday in training, I train until failure.
“I train to put myself in the worst positions so that I can overcome that in a cage. I’m not just a pretty face and that’s what I’m trying to tell the world. Yes, that’s who I am, I love everything perfect. I love my banner, I love being creative with my brands because it’s my Loureda signature.
“But I am an amazing fighter and anybody that’s trained with me my whole life whether it be taekwondo or now knows that I’m a true martial artist.”
What did you make of Loureda’s MMA debut this past weekend?
