Winning a split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27) over Taylor Turner in front of her family was just the cherry on top for the American Top Team product.

“Actually I felt the most comfortable and happy I’ve felt in a while. And before backstage I was dancing and I was just listening to my Hispanic music. I felt just so calm and at peace. I’ve never felt like this before,” Loureda said.

“I’m just so blessed to be able to do this in front of my mom who had cancer and survived leukemia and she’s sitting here watching me today in front of my two little sisters. And on my dad’s birthday because my dad cornered me and today’s his birthday.”

Loureda (4-1) was coming off a loss to Hannah Guy back at Bellator 259 which triggered a tough and emotional time for the rising star.

“I lost that fight to Hannah, I wasn’t myself and I’ve said this over and over again. That was the worst heartbreak of my life that I’ve ever been through. And I grieved it and I went through those emotions. I think it’s more powerful the fact that I was able to pick myself up and perform like this today. I did go through a lot mentally after I lost that fight. I knew that I lost to myself not to her. But I’m really happy to be back and be back in the winning column like I deserve because I train like a winner.”

The hometown cooking was not limited to her family as fan support was loud for Loureda during the event.

“It’s a dream come true. Thank you everyone, thank you Miami, thank you Bellator, this is just the beginning of my career.”

Watch the full Bellator 271 post-fight press conference with Valerie Loureda above. More coverage from the event can be found below.

The post Bellator 271’s Valerie Loureda: “Back In The Winning Column Like I Deserve” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Proclaiming that “feminine” girls had to struggle for respect more than your average fighter in MMA ahead of the bout, Loureda took on Taylor Turner at home in Miami (technically Hollywood, FL). Between her high profile, and the first loss of her career earlier in the year against Hannah Guy, a lot was riding on Friday night.

Loureda was also fighting for the first time since taking on Thiago Alves as her head coach. Perhaps adding a few new tricks to her game under “Pitbull.”

Early Friday however, Loureda’s game was familiar. Though she had said ahead of the bout that she’d spent 80% of her camp on grappling, it was all standup early. Loureda stayed active, circling, but didn’t show much in the way of offense in the opening round.

Neither, mind you, did Turner. And grappling? If the Taekwondo fighter had spent 80% of her camp on it, she didn’t appear ready to show it. What she did show was her left hand, connecting clean towards the end of the round, giving the taller, lankier Turner something to think about. Even prettier, a spinning back kick connecting clean for Loureda in the dying seconds of the frame.

In the second, Turner found success with her jab early, and fired a few kicks, looking to utilize her length. But Loureda was, once again, far too mobile, and when she did attack, she was landing the harder shots. Loureda connected with a body kick with about two minutes left in the round, then double-pumped her jab. Turner continued to chase her, but catching Loureda was another matter entirely. In a clinch during the final minute of round two, Loureda came over the top with a right hand — but she’d come away from the exchange bloodied.

Turner spent much of the third once again looking to close the distance, while Loureda circled out of range. It was a familiar scene, but Loureda was again lacking in the offense department. The pair traded kicks with just under two minutes remaining. But for the most part, you could park a car in the space between them. Another kicking exchange would come at the one minute mark; Taylor would then land a kick, prompting Loureda to return fire, capping off a combination with a kick. Loureda would fire a few spinning kicks, and they’d turn up the heat in the final 30 seconds before heading to the scorecards.

Here are the final moments between @ValerieLouredaa and Taylor Turner tonight at #Bellator271.

The @MonsterEnergy Prelims, fueled by @ampm are LIVE NOW on the #Bellator YouTube channel.

▶️ https://t.co/ogNX5QFa0q pic.twitter.com/0ZsjYovIAu

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) November 13, 2021

“I’m just an Instagram model,” Loureda said sarcastically to the camera prior to the scores being read. “You have no idea how much I’ve trained every day of my life.”

When all was said and done, Valerie Loureda took the fight on two of three scorecards.

Official Result: Valerie Loureda def. Taylor Turner by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)

The post Bellator 271: Valerie Loureda Claims Split Decision Win Over Taylor Turner appeared first on Cageside Press.

Bellator MMA officials announced earlier this week that Valerie Loureda (3-1) will return on the card, looking to bounce back from her first loss. She’s been paired up against Taylor Turner (5-7).

Loureda continues to have a high profile care of her social media presence, but will need to show her setback against Hannah Guy was a rare night off.

In a second women’s flyweight fight, Bruna Ellen (5-3) will take on Desiree “Dirty Dez” Yanez (5-3). Ellen will be competing for the first time since 2019, when she lost to Juliana Velasquez at Bellator 236. Velasquez would go on to win Bellator’s women’s flyweight championship, and currently reigns over the division.

Undefeated American Top Team fighter Cody Law (4-0) has also joined the Bellator 271 card. Law is set for featherweight action against Colton Ham (4-3).

At welterweight, the undefeated Roman Faraldo (5-0) faces off against Robert Turnquest (11-7). Finally, Roufusport middleweight Jordan Newman (3-0) puts his perfect record o the line against Shane O’Shea (4-2).

Bellator 270 takes place Friday, November 12, 2021 at the Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. A women’s featherweight title fight headlines the event, as Cris Cyborg takes on the #5 ranked Sinead Kavanagh.

The post Valerie Loureda, Bruna Ellen Among Additions to Bellator 271 Card appeared first on Cageside Press.

Former Bellator women’s flyweight title challenger Alejandra Lara returned to action at Bellator 225, moving up a weight class to bantamweight to take on Taylor Turner. Turner caught the eye of MMA fans when she beat boxing champ Heather Hardy at Bellator 222. Colombia’s Lara, meanwhile, caught everyone’s eye dancing her way out to the cage.

As the fight kicked off, Lara ate a solid punch on the way in, then clinched and used a trip to get Turner to the ground. Lara worked from inside Turner’s guard, landing shots to the body. Turner was active off her back, and Lara was forced to pick her up and shake free of her as Turner attacked a leg. Lara would take her back down soon enough, pinning Turner’s arm with her leg, while Turner’s back was against the fence.

Again, Taylor Turner stayed active, forcing Lara to back off, but she re-engaged, leading with a heavy left hand, and in a scramble, took the back. From there, Lara dropped a number of unanswered punches from to top, with her opponent flattened out. Turner could only cover up, and soon enough the ref waved it off.

With the win, Lara made a definitive statement that she is still a fighter to be reckoned with. Combined with her statement at weigh-ins, urging people to focus on the plight of the rain forest, it’s been quite a week for Alejandra ‘Azul’ Lara.

Alejandra Lara def. Taylor Turner by TKO, Round 1, 3:44

The post Bellator 225 Results: Alejandra Lara Makes Statement With First Round Finish of Taylor Turner appeared first on Cageside Press.

New York, NY — When Taylor Turner stepped into Madison Square Garden to face Heather Hardy at Bellator 222, she was facing a mixed martial artist with just three fights. She was also, however, facing an undefeated, multi-division boxing champion. So while Hardy’s 2-1 record wasn’t that imposing on paper, her background certainly was.

Turner clearly knew her path to victory was on the ground. She got the fight there early, got mount, and earned herself a first round TKO win. She frankly made it look easy, and was still glowing after the fight, where she spoke to reporters including Cageside Press.

And while the fight itself may have looked easy, don’t make the mistake of thinking getting there was a breeze.

“No, it was not easy. We practiced the control. Patience was probably the theme of this fight,” Turner explained. “I went out with my complete game face on, expecting to have to take a couple of shots.”

She had prepared for that. The fact that she could do what she practiced, “it wasn’t easy, all the works has been done over the past six weeks since I found out about it.” That said, she admitted that “it came more easily than I expected.”

Earlier on, Turner was clearly still living in the moment. “I’m sure you’ve heard the saying ‘a moment sometimes lasts forever,’ and that’s how this feels,” she said.

“Coming into it I knew I was the underdog, I knew I was going to be against one of the champions, and that lit a fire under me to be ready from the beginning.” Boxing, MMA, a champion is a champion. “Honestly I dreamed of this, breathed it day in and day out, so to visualize it and have it come true is amazing.”

Turner (4-5) had suffered some setbacks in her career coming in. After going through a lengthy losing streak, Taylor Turner said, “I stuck with it even when people were like ‘Maybe it’s not for you, maybe you’re too nice or too happy or too whatever to be a fighter.’ I’m like ‘no I gotta do me.’ It’s amazing, I thank God.”

As to what got her to this point, Turner noted that her gym does a lot of mental skills training. Because “a lot of fighters get anxiety sometimes” — much of which, she noted, is self-imposed. “You start to win a couple, and you think ‘man everybody expects me to be this or that or anything.’ And to the extent you get off of why you do it or who you are or try to play into these things, I think is the extent you won’t do well.”

“Having some guidance back is really helped,” she revealed — plus focusing on the fundamentals, like keeping her hands up, being ready for Hardy’s hard right hand.

The feeling of stopping an undefeated boxing champion left her on a high, of course. “Oh my gosh, I have a feeling I won’t sleep for days,” Turner told reporters.

“I mean, like I said I have dreamed about this and thought it could come true and had faith in it, but still it is unbelievable. For all those losses, for all of those hard times, this feeling you can’t buy,” she explained. In essence, nothing beats it. “You can’t get it anywhere else, you can’t do anything for. This is why you do it. I wish I had better words, but both words and silence transgress, which means just — it is. So I wish I could tell you more, but it’s probably the top of the mountain. And you know the best views come after the hardest climbs. So I’m here.”

Calling it her biggest win, she added that she’s probably at the top of her career right now. “I can’t even imagine what would ever top this. This is it. It’s heaven. It’s amazing.”

Watch the full post-fight press scrum with Taylor Turner from Bellator 222 above!

The post Bellator 222: Taylor Turner Says Win Over Hardy Came More Easily Than Expected appeared first on Cageside Press.

Boxing champ Heather Hardy was set to return at Bellator 222 after nearly a year away from the sport of MMA. The 2-1 pro mixed martial artist had defeated boxing rival Ana Julaton at Bellator 184 in February 2018, but had subsequently jumped back to boxing. Returning to the cage, she was facing Taylor Turner. Turner was a little known talent with a sub-500 record out of Tennessee.

However, Friday against New York’s own Hardy, it was Turner’s night. Handily.

The bout lasted under a round. Hardy was able to stop a takedown early against Turner, but a second attempt a minute in saw Heather Hardy end up on her back. She would never escape that position. Turner quickly moved to mount, and began raining down punches, left and right. Hardy tried to turn, but risked giving up her back in the process. Which she did.

It didn’t take long for Turner to flatten Hardy out, but Turner seemed content to continue punching rather than pursue a rear-naked choke. Hardy returned to her back, but Turner was controlling her arm, landing shots to the face with her other hand. Pulling her arm free, Hardy covered up, but Turner retained the high mount, and Hardy looked helpless. Hardy was doing little more than covering up, while the ref urged her to get out — which she clearly was unable to manage. A final call by the ref for Hardy to fight back went unanswered, and an elbow by Turner sealed the deal, as she earned the first round TKO.

Taylor Turner def. Heather Hardy by TKO, Round 1, 3:53

Check out the full results from Bellator 222 here!

The post Bellator 222 Results: Taylor Turner Makes Short Work of Returning Heather Hardy appeared first on Cageside Press.

Heather Hardy has her opponent for Bellator 222. Newsday was first to report that Hardy, a championship boxer who has found some success crossing over to mixed martial arts for Bellator, will face Taylor Turner at the event in June. Bellator 222 features an anticipated welterweight clash between champ Rory MacDonald and Neiman Gracie, which also falls under the promotion’s welterweight grand prix. It’s topped by Chael Sonnen taking on Lyoto Machida.

Hardy (2-1), is a multi-time champion in boxing, most recently winning the WBO featherweight title against Shelly Vincent. In MMA, she made a successful debut for Scott Coker at Bellator 180, defeating Alice Yauger by TKO. Kristina Williams, however, set Hardy back at Bellator 185, bloodying Hardy in an entertaining fight that ultimately proved ‘Heat’ still had lots of work to do when it came to her MMA game.

Following the loss, Hardy bounced back against fellow boxer Ana Julaton at Bellator 194, her only MMA fight in 2018. It will have been over a year before she returns against Turner at Bellator 222 in New York City.

Hardy recently told Cageside Press that she was looking for a striking battle next.

For Turner (3-5), the bout will be her third of 2019 and fourth within a 12-month span. She’s won two straight, most recently earning a first round submission against Anastasia Bruce at Valor Fighting Challenge 57 in April.

Bellator 222 takes place at the storied Madison Square Garden in New York City on June 14.

The post Taylor Turner Announced as Heather Hardy’s Opponent for Bellator 222 appeared first on Cageside Press.