Valerie Letourneau put in a solid three rounds from start to finish at Bellator 191, outworking England’s Kate Jackson.
One of three big promotional debuts at Bellator 191, former UFC title challenger Valerie Letourneau walked to the Bellator cage for the first time in Newcastle, England. Welcoming her to the flyweight fold was former TUF contestant Kate Jackson. The bout aired as part of Spike TV’s Bellator 191 main card on Saturday night. It also marked the final Bellator MMA event on Spike TV; next year, the channel becomes the Paramount Network.
England’s Jackson had the fans in her corner, but in terms of experience and level of competition, Letourneau was practically in a class of her own.
Jackson opened with a leg kick, and the pair clinched early, trading punches. The pair was active on the feet early, with a number of exchanges initiated by both women in what was a very back-and-forth round. Letourneau worked some kicks to the head, opening up a cut on the face of Kate Jackson. She followed that up with a combo; Jackson would later clinch and launch a knee. A late clinch against the fence saw Jackson pushing ‘Trouble’ up against the cage; she couldn’t make anything happen there, however. A spinning back kick to the mid-section landed moments later by Jackson. As the round progressed, mind you, Letourneau began to find her rhythm.
The second round saw Letourneau continue to be effective with her counter-punching. Jackson began working her jab, then took the fight to the ground at the mid-way mark. Valerie Letourneau immediately went to work on an arm-bar. She then transitioned to a triangle, only to transition back to an arm-bar. What could have been a huge sequence for Jackson with the takedown wound up being a bigger moment for Letourneau, who finished the transitions on top. Back on the feet, ‘Trouble’ continued to find a home for her counters; the pair would head to a third with the Canadian more than likely ahead.
Almost certainly needing a finish, a bloodied Jackson proved a game opponent in the third and final round. However, Letourneau was too much for her to overcome.
Valerie Letourneau def. Kate Jackson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
