UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Taekwondo standout Valerie Loureda didn’t disappoint in her highly anticipated pro MMA debut Saturday.
Loureda (1-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), against a game opponent in Colby Fletcher (1-3 MMA, 0-1 BMMA), picked up a first-round TKO after landing a body kick that put Fletcher on the canvas. Then, after what must have seemed like an eternity to Fletcher, Loureda got the stoppage at the 2:55 mark of the opening frame following a barrage of punches and hammerfists.
“This is the moment I’ve been dreaming of since I was a little girl – my whole life,” Loureda told John McCarthy in the cage after the fight while continually fighting back tears.
The women’s flyweight bout opened up the main card of Saturday’s Bellator 216 event at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card streamed on DAZN following prelims on MMAjunkie.
Loureda kicked high immediately, but missed, then started slugging it out with Fletcher. She threw a spinning back kick that Fletcher caught and used to nearly trip her, but she stayed upright.
Thirty seconds in, Loureda landed a punch that popped Fletcher’s head back. Soon after, Loureda again went for a flashy kick, then ducked away from Fletcher’s Superman punch. A two-punch combo was good for Loureda and had Fletcher grimacing for a moment. But seconds later, Fletcher landed a two-punch combo of her own, then got into a brief slugfest with Loureda.
Just past the midway point of the round, Loureda landed a combo of punches, then followed it with a left kick to the liver. Fletcher hit the canvas on her back and Loureda pounced on her. After a vicious barrage of ground-and-pound, referee Kevin MacDonald finally stopped it.
Up-to-the-minute Bellator 216 results include:
- Valerie Loureda def. Colby Fletcher via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 2:55
- Demetrios Plaza def. Andrews Rodriguez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)
- Justin Sumter def. Reginaldo Felix via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 3:27
- Kemran Lachinov def. Kastriot Xhema via submission (kneebar) – Round 2, 0:53
- Tyrell Fortune def. Ryan Pokryfky via TKO (knee, punches) – Round 1, 2:21
- Vinicius De Jesus def. Rodolpho Barcellos via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:46
- Jesse Kosakowski def. Rodolfo Neves Rocha via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 3:05
- Nekruz Mirkhojaev def. Pat Casey via submission (neck crank) – Round 3, 1:18
For complete coverage of Bellator 216, check out the MMA Events section of the site.
