Valerie Loureda makes short work of Colby Fletcher on her MMA debut
Monday 18 February 2019 16:57, UK
Valerie Loureda lived up to her billing on her Bellator MMA debut as the 20-year-old taekwondo black belt made short work of Colby Fletcher.
Loureda showcased her arsenal of weapons in the flyweight match-up before turning up the heat to dispatch her opponent with a TKO victory at 2:55 of the opening round at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
"This is a moment I've been dreaming of since I was little girl," an emotional Loureda said in her post-fight interview. "My whole life I dreamed of the moment I could have the platform to show my martial arts to the world."
Yaroslav Amosov stayed undefeated with a unanimous points decision over veteran Erick Silva.
The 25-year old Ukrainian was given a 29-27 and a pair of 29-28s to move 2-0 in Bellator.
Cheick Kongo battled his way to victory over former Bellator heavyweight champ Vitaly Minakov with a unanimous decision. The judges' scores were 30-27 and a pair of 29-28s in favour of the 43-year old Paris native (30-10-2).
Mirko Cro Cop was also awarded a unanimous decision with revenge over Roy Nelson having lost to his opponent at UFC 137.
Cro Cop was awarded the fight 30-27 and a pair of 29-28s as the 44-year-old made it 7-0 in rematches.
"Roy is tough, a hard puncher," Cro Cop said. "I will say it was more mentally hard for me than physically. It's always hard to go into rematch when you lose the first fight."
Sky Sports will be the only place in the UK and Ireland to watch the US, London and Dublin shows of the Bellator MMA 2019 tour.
Sky Sports fight dates announced:
- Bellator 217: Gallagher vs. Graham - Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019 - 3Arena - Dublin
- Bellator 218: Sanchez vs. Grimshaw - Friday, March 22 - WinStar World Casino & Resort - Thackerville, OK, USA
- Bellator 219: Koreshkov vs. Larkin - Friday, March 29 - Pechanga Resort Casino - Temecula, CA, USA
- Bellator 220: MacDonald vs. Fitch - Saturday, April 27 - SAP Center - San Jose, CA, USA