'Maybe that's in the cards" - Bellator fighter-turned WWE superstar says she would consider fighting in the UFC
It appears as though a Bellator fighter-turned WWE superstar hasn't completely shut the door on a return to MMA. There has been plenty of discussion surrounding what potential crossover fans could expect to see after the UFC merged with WWE to form their new entity TKO earlier this year.
Valerie Loureda, now wrestling as Lola Vice on WWE's NXT brand, recently revealed that she would be consider fighting in the UFC in the future. She most recently competed in MMA two years ago at Bellator 271, where she earned a hard fought split decision win over Taylor Turner.
While speaking to the Miami Herald's Jim Varsallone, the 25-year-old mentioned that her main focus is WWE at the moment, but would be open to MMA if that's something they approved, saying:
"I have mixed thoughts about that because right now, I'm very committed to being the best wrestler or superstar in the history of WWE...Maybe that's in the cards in a while...Whoever my boss is, I will do what they want, and of course, I'll be open to it. I love fighting. But right now, I'm completely dedicated to the WWE, and that's my only goal." [12:06 - 12:42]
It will be interesting to see whether Valerie Loureda decides to pursue a UFC bout in the future as she does have an MMA background and trains at American Top Team.
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What was Valerie Loureda's (Lola Vice) record in Bellator?
Valerie Loureda (now Lola Vice) was among Bellator's top prospects of the past five years. She entered the sport with a martial arts background as she is a 4th dan taekwondo black belt.
The 25-year-old signed with the promotion in 2018 after an impressive showing in an amateur bout and quickly gained a large following on social media. She made her promotional debut shortly after at Bellator 216, where she put her striking on full display as she earned a first-round TKO win over Colby Fletcher.
She went on to have fairly successful tenure with the promotion as she had a 4-1 record before leaving to join the WWE.