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‘Master’ Valerie Loureda has become a very popular fighter in a short period of time in Bellator. The 4th Dan taekwondo black belt has gained a large following since making her debut in 2019.
2021 was a year of growth for the American Top Team product as she suffered her first pro loss at Bellator 259. However, she rebounded from that loss and made changes to her training camp. She brought in former UFC title-challenger Thiago Alves as her new coach and got back in the win column. The taekwondo specialist defeated veteran Taylor Turner by split-decision at Bellator 271 in what ended up being an entertaining back-and-forth fight.
There are some intriguing matchups for ‘Master’ and 2022 could see her establish herself in the division. This list will look at five opponents for Valerie Loureda in Bellator.
#5. Loureda vs. Alejandra Lara
An opponent that would make sense for the 23-year-old is seventh-ranked Bellator women’s flyweight Alejandra ‘Azul’ Lara. The former title-challenger has experienced her fair share of ups-and-downs in the promotion thus far. She is 3-4 in Bellator, but has experience competing with top fighters in the division.
Despite Lara being more experienced, she is currently coming off back-to-back losses. With that being said, it would make sense if Bellator matched her up with ‘Master’ next. The fight would give the promotion a better idea on whether the rising star can hold her own against a top-10 opponent.
Their styles would make for an intriguing fight standing-up as Lara has a karate background. Since both are strikers, one could also try catching their opponent off guard by taking the fight to the ground.
#4. Loureda vs. Denise Kielholtz
Third-ranked Bellator women’s flyweight Denise ‘Miss Dynamite’ Kielholtz could be a future opponent for Valerie Loureda. Kielholtz is currently coming off a split-decision loss to Bellator women’s flyweight champion Julianna Velasquez.
From an experience standpoint, both are not that far off in terms of MMA. Kielholtz has a 6-3 MMA record, but is an established kickboxer and was the first and only Bellator Kickboxing women’s flyweight champion. In addition, she is also a black-belt in judo, which makes her a bad matchup at this stage of ‘Master’ Valerie’s career.
Despite ‘Miss Dynamite’ being more well-rounded, a fight with the taekwondo practitioner could eventually be a marque bout for the promotion. If ‘Master’ Valerie continues developing her ground game under coach Thiago Alves at ATT, this bout becomes a lot more intriguing.
#3. Loureda vs. Veta Arteaga
Sixth-ranked Veta Arteaga would be a great matchup for Loureda. The former title-challenger has been a mainstay in the top-10. Although her record is 6-4, she has competed against the top fighters of the division. Arteaga may not be a knockout artist, but she has been known to outwork her opponents en route to decision wins.
The 34-year-old is coming off a majority decision win over Desiree Yanez. The win was significant because she had back-to-back losses to Alejandra Lara and former champion Ilima-Lei Macfarlane prior to that fight.
'Master’ Valerie would have to ensure her cardio is on-point as Arteaga is a resilient fighter. She is currently scheduled to take on undefeated flyweight Keri Melendez at Bellator 274 next month. Depending on how that fight goes, it wouldn’t be surprising if 'Master' and Arteaga fight each other at some point.
#2. Loureda vs. Hannah Guy 2
A fight that Bellator should revisit for Valerie Loureda is a rematch with Hannah ‘The Hurricane’ Guy. The two fought last May at Bellator 259, which saw Guy pull off an upset.
‘The Hurricane’ used her grappling to impose her will on the ground and picked up a unanimous decision win. Her toughness was on full display as she absorbed many significant strikes that could’ve knocked out others in the division.
The loss was a turning point for ‘Master’ Valerie as she made adjustments that she felt would better serve her career.
“My last fight was not a proper representation of the fighter I am although I showed a lot of heart and it was a fun fight to watch. She’s not better than me and I’m looking forward to a rematch of that fight in the future,” said Valerie Loureda to Vibe 105.5FM Toronto.
The pair meeting for a rematch would be interesting to see, especially if 'Master' has learned from the loss and worked on her game.
#1. Loureda vs. Diana Avsaragova
Arguably the biggest non-title fight that Bellator could book in the women’s flyweight division is 'Master' Valerie vs. Diana Avsaragova. The promotion clearly has high hopes for the two prospects as they continue to develop as MMA fighters.
‘Pantera’ and ‘Master’ Valerie have a large following on social media as well as highlight-reel knockout wins over Tara Graff. Bellator should definitely consider capitalizing on their following as a potential bout between the two could generate plenty of attention.
Avsaragova seemed to have taken offense to 'Master' Valerie's comments about her win over Graff and had quite an interesting response.
“Probably I’m in her head right now, that’s why she’s saying that,” said Diana Avsaragova at Bellator 262 Media Day.
‘Pantera’ is currently the tenth-ranked women’s flyweight, so another win by both stars could put the wheels in motion for a fight.
