Valerie Loureda is proud of her WWE debut.
The former Bellator MMA flyweight, who jumped out to a 4-1 record with two knockouts, announced her transition to pro wrestling back in June. After recently dropping some photos of her in-ring debut, part of a mixed tag team under the NXT banner, Loureda followed up with a short video of her mat work opposite Thea Hail.
I’m no expert on pro wrestling moves but Loureda looked pretty smooth in there.
“I feel like fighting is easier because when you go into a cage, you have one goal and that’s to win or hurt that person,” Loureda previously told Denise Salcedo. “And in WWE, there are so many things going on and you do have to be a true entertainer. For me, the difference is striking but not striking to hurt someone. There are little things like that, but truly I love it. I am truly in love with it. I feel like a white belt again. I am just embracing the process and just getting better every day.”
Her final MMA fight resulted in a split decision victory over Taylor Turner in late 2021.
Loureda, 24, is expected to remain on the NXT roster until the promotion deems her ready for WWE television. That said, NXT features its own episodic programming on the Peacock network so don’t be surprised to the the former Bellator MMA “Master” on screens sooner, rather than later.