Yahoo Movies It’s official. History made as Miami’s Valerie Loureda of Bellator MMA fame signs with WWE
Miami’s Valerie Loureda is a confident, self-driven, self-motivated young lady.
She is athletic, tough, family oriented, beautiful, smart, creative, well-spoken and social media active.
A taekwondo master, MMA fighter, MMA commentator, model, actress and clothing line creator, she is now signed to World Wrestling Entertainment. She is the first Cuban-American woman to sign with the company.
WWE’s branding is sports entertainment. That’s Valerie Loureda.
What a journey thus far, and she’s only 23.
Here is my video interview with Loureda — a role model for young Latinas — as she discusses landing in WWE, Bellator MMA, family, her roots, ring entrance and more.
Intense, aggressive and passionate, Loureda is 4-1 as an MMA professional, competing for Bellator MMA.
Her in-cage dancing (post wins) became her staple, something which can resonate in WWE, especially for those elaborate ring entrances.
“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,” according to a statement from Bellator MMA. “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.”
With a degree in broadcast journalism, she has also helped call the action for Combate Global MMA.
Training in taekwondo as a toddler, by age 15 Loureda earned “master” status, a title given to only the most elite Olympic-caliber taekwondo fighters in that discipline. She put her Olympic aspirations on hold, when her mom, Milagros (Mily), waged a bigger fight, battling cancer.
The link below is my in-depth interview/story with Loureda from 2019, upon making her Bellator MMA debut. She discussed several topics, including her journey and her mother’s fight with cancer, which she won. During that time, the 16-year-old Loureda became a surrogate mother to her younger siblings, Natalie and Francesca.
Loureda at WrestleMania
Loureda was invited to watch a WWE tryout during WrestleMania Week in April in Arlington/Dallas.
That sparked interest from Loureda, and she later stepped into a WWE ring (with her sister Natalie watching) at the state-of-the-art WWE Performance Center in Orlando.
Before signing with WWE, Loureda received some initial pro wrestling training at the Coastal Championship Wrestling Training Center in Pompano Beach, under the direction of WWE alum Gangrel Dave Heath, who grew up in Deerfield Beach. That’s where she learned, knew she could transition to that style of fighting.
Loureda will now train at the WWE Performance Center, led by coaches Matt Bloom and Sara Amato.
Academically, she also earned a minor in Spanish from Florida International University in Miami. She is an alumna of of Our Lady of Lourdes Academy (a Catholic high school in Miami).
American Top Team Ties
Loureda trained in MMA at the prestigious American Top Team in Coconut Creek.
There are more pro wrestling ties to ATT.
King Mo is a former Bellator fighter and Impact Wrestling and MLW pro wrestler. He trained in MMA and now coaches MMA at ATT. Bobby Lashley trained in MMA at ATT. He is under contract with Bellator MMA and is a top WWE superstar. He also appeared on Impact Wrestling along with King Mo and ATT founder Dan Lambert. Paige VanZant trained at ATT, and she and Lambert are currently with AEW. VanZant, a UFC alum, also boxes for Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. WWE alum Jake Hager did not train at ATT, but he is an integral part of AEW and still under contract with Bellator MMA.
Family Ties
Her father, Francisco, has owned and operated Master Frank’s Taekwondo Academy in Miami, since 1992. Born in Valencia, Venezuela, in 1962 to Cuban parents, he is a grandmaster, who earned an eighth-degree black belt in taekwondo. A special ed teacher at Banyan Elementary School in Miami, her mom was born in Cuba and met Frank in Miami. She is also skilled in taekwondo.
Clothing line ties
In the ring, Loureda will be learning a clothesline. Outside of it, she recently launched her clothing line The Valerie Loureda Collection (VL Collection) exclusively with apparel company BlueChip.
The Valerie Loureda Collection features Valerie’s new logo and vibrant pieces that she designed in partnership with BlueChip. The collection includes a variety of apparel for every Valerie fan: leggings, T-shirts, hoodies and hats. Inspired by her Miami roots, the collection includes nods to Miami Vice with its pink and turquoise colorway.
Palm trees and 305 references also make an appearance on various pieces. The line is offered at prices ranging $34.99 — $59.99 and is available in women’s and unisex sizes ranging XS – 3XL.
BlueChip offers athletes across the world of sports the opportunity to create apparel and experiences to help build their brands. Valerie joins BlueChip’s roster which includes Georges St. Pierre, Victor Cruz, Julio Rodriguez, Cam Newton’s 7v7, Georges St Pierre, Julian Champagnie, and more.
Web: bluechipteam.com
Valerie Loureda socially acceptable
Web: https://mastervalerieloureda.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/valerielouredaa
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valerieloureda/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIeJA7WcBjoaQkHGGsGvQjA
Bio: http://www.bellator.com/fighters/14yowq/valerie-loureda
WWE NXT 2.0
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WWENXT
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WWENXT/
Web: https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ5v_MCY6GNUBTO8-D3XoAg
See NXT 2.0 TV Shows
In Orlando For Free
NXT 2.0 at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando offers fans the opportunity to cheer, boo, chant and interact with superstars during live “NXT 2.0” TV broadcasts on Tuesdays on USA Network.
To do that, there is an easy preregistration process to attend those NXT 2.0 shows for free. Join the NXT Live Private Group (an official WWE NXT page) on Facebook at wwe.com/nxtlive. Click to join the group and then receive approval and instructions.
My Pro Wrestling & MMA Talk on the Web and Social Media
Web: http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/fighting/
Twitter: @jimmyv3
YouTube: jim varsallone (jimmyv3 channel)
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