WWE continues to tap into the world of combat sports in its search for the superstars of tomorrow.
According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select, the company hopes to sign Valerie Loureda and have her report to the Performance Center by mid-July. The signing isn’t official yet, and she’s reportedly considered to be a “slam dunk” to end up in WWE, as she recently made a good impression.
Loureda, 23, is a Bellator MMA fighter with a 3-1 record. In her most recent bout, she defeated Taylor Turner via split decision in November 2021. Ross Sapp noted that Bellator had been interested in retaining her, and if she’s released by WWE, her deal with the promotion would resume.
Ahead of her tryout at the WWE Performance Center, she has been training with former WWE star Gangrel and Neilo Costa, among others. Gangrel has also involved with the training of AEW star Paige VanZant, another former MMA fighter who’s making the transition to wrestling.
In a tweet, Loureda posted a picture of herself in attendance at WWE NXT 2.0. She also shared a picture where she’s in the ring at the WWE Performance Center.
@WWENXT @WWE pic.twitter.com/Qt2fmmCZOm
— Valerie Loureda (@lolavicewwe) May 17, 2022
remember the name pic.twitter.com/SSsIJgSQcF
— Valerie Loureda (@lolavicewwe) May 18, 2022
WrestleZone will provide more details as they become available.
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