Valérie Létourneau (born April 29, 1983) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

who competes in the Women's Flyweight division for

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media cong ...

Mixed martial arts career

Létourneau made her MMA debut March 31, 2007 with TKO win over Tannaya Hantelman. Létourneau then lost her next two fights to future

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

Women's Bantamweights

Sarah Kaufman Sarah Elizabeth Kaufman (born September 20, 1985) is a retired Canadian mixed martial artist (MMA). She competed in the women's bantamweight division where she is a former Invicta FC Bantamweight Championship. Kaufman was the inaugural Strike ...

& Alexis Davis. Létourneau broke her hand in the first round of her fight with Davis. After Létourneau rebounded by winning her next three fights she then set to face future

Women's Strawweight

Cláudia Gadelha Ana Cláudia Dantas Gadelha (; born December 7, 1988), is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist who competed in the Women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of 2022, Gadelha works for the Ultimate Fightin ...

at Wreck MMA: Road to Glory. She lost via split decision. Létourneau returned at AFC 21 finishing off Jordan Moore in 34 seconds via TKO.

The Ultimate Fighter

Létourneau was one of the female contestants competing to get into the TUF house for the

TUF 18 ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate'' (also known as ''The Ultimate Fighter 18'') is the eighteenth U.S.-based installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. Th ...

season. She lost via rear-naked choke to

Roxanne Modafferi Roxanne Vincenta Modafferi (born September 24, 1982) is an American retired mixed martial artist, who most recently fought for the UFC. Though she last fought in the flyweight division, she has fought in multiple weight classes in her career. A p ...

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Létourneau made her

debut at

UFC 174 ''UFC 174: Johnson vs. Bagautinov'' was a mixed martial arts event that took place on June 14, 2014, at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Background The event was headlined by a UFC Flyweight Championship bout between the curre ...

taking on Elizabeth Phillips, who was filling in for the injured

Milana Dudieva Milana Dudieva (russian: Милана Дудиева; born August 4, 1989) is a Russian mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Mixed martial arts career Dudieva made h ...

. Létourneau won the fight via split decision. Létourneau returned to the octagon to face fellow Canadian

Jessica Rakoczy Jessica Rakoczy (born April 14, 1977) is a professional boxer and professional mixed martial arts fighter from Hamilton, Ontario and seven time women lightweight boxing champion of the world. Boxing career Rakoczy made her professional boxing d ...

UFC 186 ''UFC 186: Johnson vs. Horiguchi'' was a mixed martial arts event held on April 25, 2015, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Background The event was the seventh event that the UFC has hosted in Montreal, Quebec. The event was expec ...

. Létourneau won the bout via unanimous decision. Létourneau next faced undefeated

Maryna Moroz Maryna Moroz (Ukrainian: Марина Мороз; born September 8, 1991) is a Ukrainian professional mixed martial artist, signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she competes in the Women's Flyweight division. Moroz is also ...

UFC Fight Night 74 ''UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Oliveira'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 74'') was a mixed martial arts event held on August 23, 2015, at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Background The event was the first that the organi ...

. She won via unanimous decision. Létourneau faced Strawweight champion

Joanna Jędrzejczyk Joanna Jędrzejczyk (; born August 18, 1987) is a Polish former professional mixed martial artist and Muay Thai kickboxer. She has been called the greatest female strawweight mixed martial artist of all time, including by Daniel Cormier, who cred ...

on November 15, 2015 in the co-main event at

UFC 193 ''UFC 193: Rousey vs. Holm'' was a mixed martial arts event held on 14 November 2015, at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was the most attended UFC event in the history of the company at the time, with 56,214 people filling th ...

. She lost the fight by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 50-45). Létourneau faced

Joanne Calderwood Joanne Wood (; born 23 December 1986) is a Scottish professional mixed martial artist and former Muay Thai champion who competed in the Flyweight (MMA), Women's Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Biography Wood first sta ...

at UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Thompson in the first ever women's flyweight bout in UFC history. She lost the fight via TKO in the third round. Létourneau faced

Viviane Pereira Viviane "Sucuri' Pereira (born August 8, 1993) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and competes in strawweight division. She last competed for Invicta Fighting Championships. Professional mixed martial artist since 2013, Pereira has also fought ...

UFC 206 ''UFC 206: Holloway vs. Pettis'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) held on December 10, 2016, at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Background A UFC Light Heavyweight Championship ...

. She lost the fight by a very controversial split decision and was subsequently released from the promotion.

Bellator MMA

On April 24, 2017, Létourneau signed a new contract with Bellator MMA.Valerie Letourneau joining Bellator MMA, will compete at flyweight
, ESPN.com, April 24, 2017. The deal enabled her to fight at a weight of 125 pounds, an easier weight cut than the 115 pound weight limit required for the UFC's strawweight division. Létourneau was expected to debut against

Emily Ducote Emily Ducote (born January 1, 1994) is an American mixed martial artist, currently competing in the strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She previously competed in Invicta FC, where she was the Invicta FC Strawweigh ...

at Bellator 181 on July 14, 2017. However, on July 10, she pulled out of the bout due to injury. Létourneau eventually made her debut against

Kate Jackson Lucy Kate Jackson (born October 29, 1948) is an American actress and television producer, known for her television roles as Sabrina Duncan in the series '' Charlie's Angels'' (1976–1979) and Amanda King in the series ''Scarecrow and Mrs. Kin ...

at Bellator 191 on December 15, 2017. She won the fight by unanimous decision. Letourneau then faced Kristina Williams at Bellator 201, earning the a unanimous decision victory. Letourneau faced

Ilima-Lei Macfarlane Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (born April 2, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the flyweight division of Bellator MMA. She is the inaugural and former Bellator Women's Flyweight World Champion. As of December ...

at Bellator 213 for the

Bellator Women's Flyweight World Championship Bellator MMA (formerly known as "Bellator Fighting Championships") is an American mixed martial arts promotion, and the following is a history of its champions in each weight class. At the time of its inception in 2008, CEO Bjorn Rebney founded B ...

. She was defeated by third round submission.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 10–7 ,

, Submission (triangle choke) , Bellator 213 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:19 ,

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...

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Temecula, California Temecula (; es, Temécula, ; Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 census and was incorporated on December 1, 1989. The city is a t ...

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, Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 191 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

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Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–5 ,

, TKO (body kick and punches) , UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Thompson , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:51 ,

Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

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Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 8–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Oliveira , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as t ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 7–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, April 25, 2015 , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 6–3 , Elizabeth Phillips , Decision (split) ,

, June 14, 2014 , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 5–3 , Jordan Moore , TKO (punches) , AFC 21 - The Return , May 16, 2014 , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:34 ,

Hollywood, Florida Hollywood is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States, located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. As of July 1, 2019, Hollywood had a population of 154,817. Founded in 1925, the city grew rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s, and is now ...

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, Decision (split) , Wreck MMA - Road to Glory , April 20, 2012 , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Gatineau Gatineau ( ; ) is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is located on the northern bank of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario. Gatineau is the largest city in the Outaouais administrative region and is part of Canada's N ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 4–2 , Tannaya Hantelman , TKO (punches) , Freedom Fight - For Honor and Pride , September 10, 2011 , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:07 ,

Sudbury Sudbury may refer to: Places Australia * Sudbury Reef, Queensland Canada * Greater Sudbury, Ontario (official name; the city continues to be known simply as Sudbury for most purposes) ** Sudbury (electoral district), one of the city's federal e ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 3–2 , Julie Malenfant , TKO (punches) , Ringside MMA 10 - Cote vs. Starnes , April 9, 2011 , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:15 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 2–2 , Kate Roy , Submission (armbar) , XMMA 7 - Inferno , February 27, 2009 , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:23 ,

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–2 , Alexis Davis , Decision (split) , TKO 31 - Young Guns , December 14, 2007 , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, TKO (punches) , TKO 29 - Repercussion , June 1, 2007 , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:36 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Tannaya Hantelman , TKO (punches) , ECC 5 - A Night Of Champions , March 31, 2007 , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:02 ,

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...

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, Submission (rear-naked choke) , The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate , (air date) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:36 ,

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

, United States ,

References

External links

*
Valerie Letourneau
at

Bellator Bellator, warrior in Latin, may refer to: * Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States * Bishop Bellator of Archaeological site of Sbeitla, Sufetula (5th century) Taxonomy * Bellator (fish), ''Bellator'' (fish), a fis ...

(archived) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Letourneau, Valerie 1983 births Living people Canadian female mixed martial artists Strawweight mixed martial artists Bantamweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Bellator female fighters Canadian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners French Quebecers Sportspeople from Montreal People from Coconut Creek, Florida Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters