Valerie Loureda | Bellator MMA
Undefeated flyweight sensation Valerie Loureda will make her return to the cage tomorrow night (Fri., Aug. 7, 2020) when she collides with “Tiny” Tara Graff on the Bellator 243 “Prelims” card from inside Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
The victory will help Loureda silence the negative comments she’s received for her promotional work outside the cage, some of which embraces her “sexy and elegant” side that gets shelved when it’s time to throw down.
“The public gives me a lot of negative comments and it’s very easy for someone my age, 22 years old, to give into that and get influenced by it,” Loureda told Hablemos MMA (via MMA Junkie). “But that’s something that I do. I block that and I barely look at the comments because I’m focused on my goal and my dream and I know that I’m going to reach it. The moment I step in the cage and get another incredible knockout, it’s going to shut people’s mouths.”
One of those mouths belongs to fellow female fighting phenom Macy Chiasson, who unloaded on Loureda — following this Tik Tok video — for catering to the “disgusting, misogynistic dudes” dwelling in the bowels of the combat sports universe.
“I don’t think you should be judging someone by how they look, and this is a problem we have in MMA,” Loureda continued. “There’s a stereotype of women in this sport, and I can help change that. The way I am, and that’s with my dancing and fighting, that’s what makes me happy. That’s how I show women I can do that and no one should judge you. I want other women to look at that and say, ‘That sport is not only for men. I can be elegant, pretty, feminine and still be a strong woman in the cage.’”
Loureda (2-0) last competed at Bellator 222, capturing a unanimous decision victory over Larkyn Dasch.