As far as role models go, Bellator flyweight Valerie Loureda could do a lot worse than Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
Loureda, 21, worked closely with the former strawweight champion at the American Top Team gym ahead of Jedrzejczyk’s title fight against Zhang Weili at UFC 248 last month. Jedrzejczyk and Zhang would put on one of the greatest championship bouts in MMA history, battling back and forth for five rounds before Zhang emerged with a unanimous decision to defend her title.
The striking war was both physically and emotionally exhausting, even for those who simply witnessed it.