Meet self-described biggest underdog in UFC history, UFC 193's Valerie Letourneau

Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Valerie Letourneau

Is UFC women’s strawweight title challenger Valerie Letourneau the biggest underdog in the promotion’s history?

Before she was asked to step in for a title fight against undefeated champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) at next month’s UFC 193, such things weren’t of interest to the 32-year-old French Canadian.

“It never crossed my mind in my life to see what the odds were for my fight, because it’s not going to change anything in the fight,” Letourneau (8-3 MMA, 3-0 UFC) told MMAjunkie.

But now, her status is inescapable leading into the Nov. 14 event at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. It’s a bullet point she can’t help but address when talking to reporters about the fight.

The numbers say Jedrzejczyk will run her over without sweating much.

“Of course,” Letourneau chuckles when asked if she’s aware of current betting lines.

When the sports books close in advance of the title bout, a replacement headliner in the wake of an injury to No. 1 contender Claudia Gadelha, Letourneau might go down as the pound-for-pound underdog champ. Right now, the conservative line has set her at +790; she tops out at +1300.

Even UFC 193 headliner Holly Holm, who’s a +1100 underdog to women’s bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey, isn’t as much of a sure thing to bet against.

But there’s a certain freedom in those expectations, Letourneau said.

“You know what? She’s going in there with all the pressure,” she told MMAjunkie. “I’m going in there with nothing to lose.”

Undoubtedly, the lopsided odds owe to her relatively pedestrian UFC career, a trio of decision wins over untested talent, and Jedrzejczyk’s complete domination since becoming champion.

In March, Jedrzejczyk, a former kickboxing champ, shut down the inaugural women’s strawweight titleholder, Carla Esparza, who beat three 115-pound fighters on “The Ultimate Fighter 20.” Then she mauled Jessica Penne, leaving the “TUF 20” semifinalist a bloody mess in June.

Valerie Letourneau

Both of Jedrzejczyk’s title opponents also were standout grapplers, apparently answering the question of how she would fare against those with a superior mat pedigree.

Letourneau can see why the public would put more faith Brazilian Gadelha, who took the champ the distance in her second fight. But she believes she is among several who are undervalued at 115 pounds.

“The rankings right now are new, and there are a lot of girls that aren’t really know that, trust me, are going to have an impact,” she said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the rankings are totally different in two years, or one year.

With the backing of American Top Team, Letourneau said she’s made invaluable advances in her technical skills and said she won’t be bullied by the champ.

“I have the tools to beat Joanna,” she said. “There’s not many girls that can stand with Joanna. It’s pretty hard for them to give a challenging fight. So Claudia was making sense to me, because they had a close fight and she’s the No. 1 contender. But I’m not surprised they chose me.”

Eight years ago, when the betting lines closed on a light heavyweight fight between Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou at PRIDE 33, Sokodjou was a +1350 underdog. He went on to knock out the veteran in 23 seconds, thereby cinching the title of biggest upset in MMA history, according to Fury’s Fight Picks.

Sokodjou made a career off that night, going on to fight in the now-defunct Japanese promotion and the UFC before a precipitous slide into journeyman status.

Letourneau is not the same unknown as Sokoudjou. But she should hope to follow in his path in at least one respect. With good fortune, she’ll take home two titles at UFC 193 – one official, and one for the record books.

“I was a big underdog for my last fight, and I was a big underdog for my first UFC fight,” she said. “I know this ain’t going to change anything in the fight.

“We go there, we do our job, and the result is going to be the same.”

For more on UFC 193, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.