This just in, we’ve added some serious talent to the #Bellator216 card!
This women’s flyweight bout between @ValerieLoureda and @Team_Colby22 is gonna’ be ! pic.twitter.com/idJPwJCiad— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) January 21, 2019
Recently-signed taekwondo black belt Valerie Loureda will make her professional mixed martial arts debut against Colby Fletcher at Bellator 216.
The California-based promotion recently announced the pairing, which will be contested at 125 pounds. Bellator 216 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., on Feb. 16 and is headlined by a welterweight tournament bout between Michael Page and Paul Daley. Loureda vs. Fletcher is expected to be part of the evening’s main card, which airs on Paramount Network and streams on DAZN.
Loureda was initially rumored to have been paired against Anastasia Bruce, a New York-based amateur with a winless amateur record, but that matchup did not come to fruition. Loureda is a 4th dan taekwondo black belt and a former member of the United States Olympic team. Based at American Top Team, Loureda owns a 2-1 amateur mark.
Fletcher, meanwhile, is 1-2 in her professional career but has not competed since June 2015. Her previous opponents include two-time Bellator veteran Alice Yauger and “The Ultimate Fighter 26” cast member Montana De La Rosa.