NXT up-and-comer Valerie Loureda is looking to add her name to the list of former MMA stars who have found success in professional wrestling.
The former Bellator fighter signed with WWE back in June after impressing at a try-out in the spring. Loureda is a long-time athlete having trained in many different aspects of fighting from an early age, which eventually led her to a career in MMA. Before choosing her MMA path, Loureda practiced Taekwondo at her Father’s dojo. The 23-year-old’s father trained her all the way to a black belt in the martial art and United States Olympic team.
After racking up a record of four wins and one defeat with Bellator, Lourada set her sights on a WWE career after attending WrestleMania 38.
Valerie Loureda Makes NXT Debut
Towards the end of 2022, Loureda was given the ring name Lola Vice and made her in-ring debut at an NXT live event in early November. After making a brief cameo on NXT television, the star has now wrestled her first televised match. The bout is set to be featured on the upcoming January 27th episode of NXT Level Up and saw Vice lose out to Dani Palmer.
Elsewhere on the show, Dante Chen saw off Kale Dixon and Oliver Carter lost out to Scripts.
I did it. Lola Vice. pic.twitter.com/yPD8MyJBxC
— Valerie Loureda (@lolavicewwe) January 25, 2023
Speaking back in July 2022, Loureda credited Charlotte Flair with sparking her interest in wrestling and WWE.
“Yeah, Charlotte Flair is what did it for me. My last fight was in November and in my mind, I was still fighting. Then, I went to WrestleMania — have you guys ever been? It’s just another level. You go in there and you leave different. That’s what changed my mind and I just prayed for this opportunity and it came through,”
Upon signing with WWE, the star explained that she planned to move from Miami, where she trained under Dan Lambert’s American Top Team, to Orlando, the home of the Performance Center.