UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Bellator president Scott Coker isn’t putting too much stock into the first professional loss of one of his biggest prospects.
Coker is confident Valerie Loureda will bounce back after losing Friday at Bellator 259. The 22-year-old Loureda (3-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) opened up the main card of the event where she was outpointed by newcomer Hannah Guy in a unanimous decision. On at least two occasions, Loureda was in serious trouble but managed to escape deep submission attempts by Guy.
Despite entering Bellator 259 with three fights under her belt, Loureda is one of the most recognized faces in the organization, as well as one of the most promoted fighters.
“The one thing you have to remember about Valerie is she’s still a young fighter,” Coker told reporters at the Bellator post-fight press conference on Friday. “She only has, what, four fights. Talk to me after she has 10, 11, 12 fights, and we’ll have a better picture of (her stock). I was sitting there talking to Dan (Lambert), because she works out at ATT in Florida, and we said, ‘Hey, she’s young, she’ll rebound, she’ll work on her ground game.’
“She’ll eventually put it all together. She’s got time, and I know that, especially what Dan was telling me, he says, ‘This girl is in the gym, and she’s throwing bombs at people like she wants to fight. She wants to fight everybody all the time.’ So, she’s got that spirit. It’s just, you know, put a little bit more pieces together, work on transitional elements of MMA, and she’ll get it together.”
Loureda addressed the defeat on Saturday, echoing similar sentiments to Coker. The American Top Team product said she’s still a work in progress and vows to rebound from the loss.
“You can’t teach heart,” Loureda wrote on Instagram. “I’m 22 and you are watching my career develop in front of your eyes. To those who said I would get taken down and submitted in the first round, I proved you wrong. To my fans, I adore you. I love what I do, I was born to fight, and I will be champion.”
Scott Coker: Valerie Loureda will be fine after Bellator 259 loss, ‘eventually put it all together’
