UFC 174 Update: Newcomer Letourneau Replaces De Randamie, Faces Dudieva
Valerie Letourneau will make her UFC debut on home soil. | Brian
Townsend/Sherdog.com
Canadian flyweight Valerie Letourneau will move up the scale for a short-notice assignment against fellow Octagon newcomer Milana Dudieva at UFC 174.
UFC officials Monday announced Letourneau as a replacement for Strikeforce vet Germaine de Randamie, who last week withdrew from the bout due to an undisclosed injury.
The 135-pound matchup will be part of the Fox Sports 1-broadcast undercard of the June 14 card, which will emanate from Rogers Arena in Vancouver, B.C. The pay-per-view portion of UFC 174 will be topped by a UFC flyweight title showdown between reigning champ Demetrious Johnson and challenger Ali Bagautinov.
Letourneau was cast on the 18th season of “The Ultimate Fighter” but was eliminated in the opening round by a rear-naked choke from Roxanne Modafferi. The Tristar Gym fighter is less than three weeks removed from her most recent victory, a first-round stoppage of the debuting Jordan Moore under the banner of Florida’s Absolute Fighting Championship.
Dudieva was rumored to be close to a UFC deal in 2013 before hitting a speed bump against Jessica Andrade, who tapped the Russian with a guillotine choke. Dudieva has rebounded with a pair of wins in 2014, submitting two opponents inside the first round.
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