WWE Signing Valerie Loureda Wants Match Against Top Star

Back on May 14th, WWE asked social media "Who do you want to see challenge Ronda Rousey?" At the time, Bellator's Valerie Loureda's response — "me" — felt like just a fun interaction, but in the wake of Loureda signing with WWE, that one word suddenly has much more serious implications.

In an interview with TMZ, Loureda doubled down on wanting Rousey in a WWE ring, telling the site that Ronda is "the goal" that she has set for herself. Loureda remembered the very first time that she ever watched MMA, when she saw "a beautiful woman fighting in a cage ... and I got goosebumps." That woman: Ronda Rousey.

Loureda said that, upon seeing Rousey in action in the octagon, she turned to her grandmother and said, "If she's doing that, I can do it too." This led to the taekwondo black belt — who comes from a family of black belts — to pursue mixed martial arts, a journey that eventually lead her to the Bellator promotion, where she is currently 4-1 and seen as a top prospect. And this month, Loureda will officially follow in Rousey footsteps once again, as she's set to report to the performance center on July 19th. Loureda reportedly attended WrestleMania 38 and "fell in love" with the spectacle of WWE, saying that she's an entertainer deep down.

A former"Raw" Women's Champion, Rousey lost her "SmackDown" Women's title this past weekend, when 2022 women's Money In The Bank winner Liv Morgan cashed-in her briefcase after Rousey's successful defense against Natalya. While Rousey is likely out for revenge against Morgan, with recent reports suggesting that the two are set to clash again at Summerslam, Loureda's comments mean that once Loureda has finished her development in the WWE Performance Center, the Miami-based fighter could have her eye on her one-time idol, and any gold she might be carrying.