Valerie Letourneau Injured; Jessica Middleton Steps In Versus Emily Ducote at Bellator 181

Valerie Letourneau's Bellator MMA and return to the flyweight division will have to wait.

The former UFC strawweight title challenger has sustained an undisclosed injury in training, knocking her out of her slated Bellator 181 bout this Friday with Emily Ducote. The promotion announced the news on Monday.

Bellator 181 takes place at the WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Oklahoma, headlined by a rubber match between lightweights Derek Campos and Brandon Girtz. The main card airs live on Spike, while the undercard streams on Spike.com.

The 33-year-old Letourneau, who signed with Bellator as a free agent in April, will be replaced by Jessica Middleton. After opening her pro career 2-0 with Bellator win over Bruna Ellen and Alice Yauger, the 29-year-old “Million Hits” took the first loss of her career at Bellator 178 in April, suffering an armbar defeat to Ilima-Lei Macfarlane.

Ducote, 23, also suffered a loss to Macfarlane, dropping a unanimous decision to “The Ilimanator” last December. “Gordinha” bounced back at Bellator 174 this past March, choking out Katy Collins in the first round.

No timetable has been announced for Letourneau's recovery and rebooking.