The Bellator MMA women?s roster has taken a significant boost as the promotion has reportedly signed Valerie Loureda to a multi-fight deal.
Loureda, who is set to make her pro debut in 2019 after signing with Bellator MMA, claims to be a fighter prior to even being born.
?My mom was pregnant with me during her black belt test,? Loureda told MMA Junkie. ?I guess you could say I was kicking from before I was even born. It?s in my blood. I haven?t gone a day in my life without throwing a punch or a kick. It?s who I am.?
A newly signed Loureda has won two of three as an amateur MMA fighter, with those victories coming over the duo of Teresa LaFollette and Hannah Jackson.
One big move Loureda made prior to making her professional MMA debut was to train at American Top Team.
?I was always frustrated because I was like, ?We?re doing a mix of martial arts. Why is he (previous coach) trying change my style into an MMA style?? Loureda said. ?MMA is a mix of all of our disciplines together. I would go home, I would respect what my coaches were saying, but I would write down on a piece of paper creative ideas I thought where taekowndo was effective in MMA and was not effective in MMA because there?s some things obviously you can?t do. I don?t call what I do kickboxing. I call it a blend of taekwondo and muay Thai and everything together. In the beginning, that was my struggle. But I feel like after my first fight in the cage, then I realized I started gaining more experience and understanding when I could pursue my sport in a fight.?
There is no word yet on when Loureda will make her pro MMA and Bellator MMA debut, other than it will come next year.