[autotag]Valerie Loureda[/autotag] hopes to help change the way some people expect female athletes to look in MMA.
Although MMA has been around for many years now and it is broadcast on mainstream cable networks like Paramount (Bellator) and ESPN (UFC), some still see the sport as exclusive to men and only being associated with blood, sweat, rage and bad tattoos.
Loureda (2-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA), who fights Friday at Bellator 243, has gained a fair amount of popularity through her wins, as well as her life outside the cage.
Through the use of Instagram and other social media platforms, the flyweight prospect hopes to help break the stereotype many have set on female fighters.
“I think that a woman should know how to defend herself, and one thing doesn’t have to do with the other,” Loureda explained in Spanish on Monday’s episode of Hablemos MMA. “When I step into training, I transform. I forget about the makeup, I forget about the hair, I forget about my eyelashes, and my focus is on fighting and defending myself. Outside of the sport, I go home and I’m super girly-girl. I like going to the mall. I have my hair done. I put on my eyelashes, and it’s not for all women, but I want to send a message that you can be sexy and elegant and be able to step in a cage and fight – be able to defend yourself.”
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Loureda has plenty of fans, as seen with her strong social media following. The 22-year-old has more than 250,000 followers on Instagram. And like many in the spotlight, the attention has also brought on critics.
Recently, the UFC’s Macy Chiasson criticized how Loureda carries herself online, claiming she’s “selling sex” and not MMA.
Loureda, born in Miami and with Cuban heritage, is also a model and a dancer apart from being a professional fighter. The 22-year-old doesn’t think people should judge others based on what they do outside of the cage.
“I don’t think you should be judging someone by how they look, and this is a problem we have in MMA,” Loureda said. “There’s a stereotype of women in this sport, and I can help change that.
“I’m a dancer, but at the same time I did tae kwon do, and no one can take that away from me. The way I am, and that’s with my dancing and fighting, that’s what makes me happy. That’s how I show women I can do that and no one should judge you. I want other women to look at that and say, ‘That sport is not only for men. I can be elegant, pretty, feminine and still be a strong woman in the cage.’
“That’s who I am, and no one is going to take that way from me. I know the message that I’m going to send. The way girls look up to me and send me messages saying they now want to learn self defense because they no longer think this is a sport for men only, that makes me happy. And that’s one of my motivations to keep winning, so I show the world that you can be that way and be a champion in this sport.”
As far as her public back-and-forth on Instagram with Chiasson, Loureda doesn’t want to be in any more disputes. However, she did feel the need to reply to Chiasson and explain where she was coming from.
“She’s a woman that has her problems because she’s out judging other women in this sport,” Loureda said. “The only reason why I replied to her, it’s because I was truly passionate that she was feeling bad. She likes her tattoos and all that, and I like to dance. So there’s no problem with that. Everyone outside of the cage has their own personalities and she shouldn’t be judging anyone for that or anyone in the world. But it’s OK. I silence her when I fight. I won’t change who I am because of what someone thinks or says.”
Loureda is still young in the sport. It can be a heavy burden for a young athlete to carry that much attention at an early stage of her career. However, Loureda is making a conscious effort to focus on what matters to her.
“The public gives me a lot of negative comments and it’s very easy for someone my age, 22 years old, to give into that and get influenced by it,” Loureda said. “But that’s something that I do. I block that and I barely look at the comments because I’m focused on my goal and my dream and I know that I’m going to reach it. The moment I step in the cage and get another incredible knockout, it’s going to shut people’s mouths.”
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