WWE adds another former MMA fighter to its roster.
As reported by ESPN, Bellator MMA fighter, Valerie Loureda has officially signed a multi-year deal with WWE. Valerie had posted a photo from inside the WWE Performance Center on social media and her manager also posted footage of her appearing to train.
Our premium Fightful Select Service reported in May that WWE was likely to sign Loureda.
Fightful has learned that Bellator MMA star Valerie Loureda is expected to be signed by WWE, if she hasn't already. We were told by WWE sources that Loureda made a great impression recently, and seemed like a "slam dunk" to end up in the company. The last we'd heard, the signing wasn't official as of yet, but they hoped to have her signed and able to report to the WWE Performance Center by mid-July.
remember the name pic.twitter.com/SSsIJgSQcF
— Valerie Loureda (@valerielouredaa) May 18, 2022
Big day for @valerielouredaa #WWE pic.twitter.com/a1IZSqGQSZ
— Ibrahim Kawa (@Abraham_kawa) May 18, 2022
"I'm an entertainer," Loureda said to ESPN. "I love glamour. I love production, I love storytelling. When I saw the WWE, I realized this is everything I'm good at in one place. Not only that, but I saw the opportunity to be the first Cuban American woman to be a WWE superstar."
Loureda told Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour that she is no longer an MMA competitor but will remain under contract to Bellator. During her career with Bellator, she had four fights and has a 4-1 record, with her only loss being to Hannah Guy in May of 2021. Her last fight was in November 2021 and it was a win, by split decision, over Taylor Turner.
"Valerie Loureda is a very young and talented athlete who can accomplish plenty in MMA for years to come, but for now we wish her the best of luck as she pursues her dream of becoming a WWE Superstar," Bellator president Scott Coker told ESPN in a statement. "She will remain an active and under-contract fighter with Bellator, and we look forward to welcoming her back into the cage in the near future. We take great pride in allowing our athletes to test themselves in additional arenas such as boxing and pro wrestling."
When Coker's statement was read to her on the MMA Hour, it was noted that she received permission from Bellator to take this deal with WWE.
Loureda expressed gratitude to Coker and Bellator by saying, "My manager spoke to them and honestly, I'm just so grateful that they have treated me the way that they have. They know the type of girl I am. They know me personally and I love Scott and Mike Kogan a lot because, without them, I wouldn't be here today, but I think they knew it was time for me to butterfly and grow. This is going to test me and the world is going to see me as an entertainer now. This is everything I'm good at, at once. It's not just fighting."
WWE has a history of adding competitors with a mixed martial arts background to their roster, most notably when speaking about male competitors, Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley. For a brief time, Cain Velasquez was on the WWE roster. On the women's side, Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler are the most notable names.
On social media, Valerie took photos spacing off and posing with NXT competitor Nikkita Lyons.
Additionally in the world of wrestling, AEW recently signed Paige VanZant, someone that WWE was courting for a brief period of time. Learn more here.
