Valerie Loureda has signed a multi-year deal with the WWE.
After an almost three-year run in professional mixed martial arts, Valerie Loureda will be moving on to pro wrestling. Loureda edged out a split decision win in her latest outing against Taylor Turner last November at Bellator 271, which turns out to be her final one in MMA for now.
Valerie Loureda signs deal with WWE
In an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, an emotional Valerie Loureda revealed the big news she had been teasing the last couple weeks on Twitter.
“I have now become the first Cuban-American woman and I am now a WWE superstar. I’m excited and I’ve dedicated my whole life to martial arts and I feel like everything has come to this moment. This is my opportunity to showcase my culture and show the world the entertainer I am.”
“My mind has completely shifted from MMA to the WWE. All that passion, and energy I have for MMA that I worked for five years, I’m now doing that in the training facility in Orlando.
“I love fighting but this is my time and I’m turning 24 next month, my first day as an employee of the WWE at the facility. It’s the best birthday gift I can ask for.”
Loureda wants to be the female version of ‘The Rock’
Valerie spoke about her ambitions ahead in the WWE. Hailing from Miami, she wants to follow a similar path as that of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. With such a lofty goal, Loureda looks forward to working for a headline spot at Wrestle Mania.
“Nothing compares to WWE, it’s a monster of its own. Everyone knows that, it’s the truth. It’s a global organization. There’s nothing that compares to a Wrestle Mania, like, who could pull that off? Nobody. WWE, they’re the only ones.”
“I’m going to be the first woman to represent Miami, and I want to be known as the female Rock version. I saw what The Rock did when he went to the University of Miami and everything he’s done. I think I could achieve that same star power, I believe I have it and I believe I’m going to work very hard every single day to make that happen.
“But more than anything in the WWE, I do want to headline a Wrestle Mania one day, I do want to be the first Cuban American, Latina woman to headline something.”
When asked whether it was a multi-year deal, Loureda said that she didn’t know. However, Marc Raimondi of ESPN reported it to be a multi-year deal.
Valerie Loureda is currently working on her pro wrestling chops at the training center in Orlando.
