Report: Letourneau close to signing with Bellator
Valerie Letourneau couldn't convince the UFC to start a women's flyweight division, so she's going elsewhere to find one.
The one-time strawweight title challenger recently announced that her Octagon days were done after suffering three straight losses, including her five-round fight with 115-pound champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk. That run of bad luck was capped off by missing weight for a bout with Viviane Pereira that she would then lose by split decision, but she is reportedly hoping for a fresh start in Bellator's 125-pound division, according to Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting.
Letourneau was in attendance at Bellator 178 on Friday in Uncasville, Conn.:
Bellator wouldn't confirm a signing, but flyweight free agent Valerie Letourneau (8-6)... https://t.co/AFkIWIfEW8 pic.twitter.com/f4tO3ZKgVh
— Phil Murphy (@Phil_Sports) April 22, 2017
Following the Jedrzejczyk fight, Letourneau competed in the first women's flyweight bout in UFC history when she took on Joanne Calderwood at UFC Fight Night 89, but that ended up being a one-and-done proposition for the promotion.
Should Letourneau finalize a deal with Bellator, she will join a roster that has an abundance of talent at 125 pounds, including the undefeated Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, veterans Colleen Schneider and Sarah D'Alelio, and Russian prospect Anastasia Yankova.