Valerie Loureda made her Bellator MMA debut earlier this year and she knows she needs more fights to establish herself at the professional level. However, it looks like finding an opponent was an issue after she made her debut according to Loureda during the Bellator 222 media day. Loureda told Sherdog, “I had five girls back out before this,” but she was already preparing for a fight.
Loureda will be facing Larkyn Dasch, who lost her pro debut but has a lot of experience on the amateur circuit. Loureda is well aware of what she brings to the table. Coming from taekwondo, her striking is expected but mixed martial arts requires fighters to think outside the box and Loureda knows this. Training at American Top Team she said, “I train with some of the best Cuban wrestlers in the world,” so she feels she can defend any takedowns Dasch might attempt.
If a takedown happens, Loureda is confident she can get back to her feet. She could try to show off some of her submission game but she said she will “show off what I’m best at.” Loureda is aware of Dasch’s amateur experience but being on the main card in her debut has already mentally prepared her for anyone she could face next.
One thing is for sure, neither Loureda nor her opponent could turn down a chance to fight in Madison Square Garden. Whatever happens in her bout, Loureda seems prepared and more than ready to add some more fights to her resume.
Bellator 222 takes place this Friday and airs live on Dazn.
Edward Carbajal serves as the lead MMA analyst for Frontproof Media and holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and a brown belt in Ishin Ryu karate. He has covered combat sports since 2014 and has been a fan of MMA since the first UFC. You can follow him on Twitter @Carbazel or at his website TheBlogBoardJungle.com.