Bellator Fighter Set To Sign With WWE

WWE looks to have found its next MMA star.

by Andrew Pollard
valerie loureda
Bellator

While Paige VanZant made her pro wrestling bow at this past weekend's AEW Double or Nothing, it looks as if another member of Dan Lambert's American Top Team could be getting set to step in the ring sooner rather than later.

As per Fightful, Bellator's Valerie Loureda is expected to sign with WWE imminently. In fact, the belief is that Loureda may even have signed a WWE deal already.

Having recently attended a tryout at the WWE Performance Center, the MMA standout is said to have made "great impressions" on those who saw her in action. If Loureda signs with the company in time, it's expected that she'll be a part of the new signees to report to the PC in July.

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Much like VanZant, the 23-year-old has been training with Gangrel in recent times as part of her transition from MMA to the pro wrestling business.

For those wondering about Loureda's Bellator status, her contract there will freeze upon her signing with WWE. As such, the fighting promotion would have the option to bring her back to the cage once her time with Vince McMahon's sports entertainment juggernaut is done.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.