A large chunk of combat sports fans refuse to accept the WWE as a legitimate promotion. As a result, Paul Levesque and Co. were derided after ‘Forbes’ honored them with the second spot in their recently published list of most valuable combat sports promotions.
Likewise, another recent action from the WWE NXT star, Lola Vice, earned her a similar kind of bashing from fans. In a recent video on WWE NXT’s ‘X’ account, Vice used the former UFC BMF champ Justin Gaethje’s UFC 300 KO loss as a reference to portray how she would defeat her upcoming rival, Natalya.
Both WWE and UFC stars go through incredible amounts of physical pain during their performances. Still, the unscripted nature of UFC fights make fans count them as ‘real fighting’ over the WWE’s scripted showdowns. Vice’s daunting warning for Natalya with the Gaethje reference read,
“And when it’s all said and done, I’m gonna have you laying flat on your face, just like Justin Gaethje”
“You’re entering my world”@lolavicewwe doesn’t envision an easy night for @NatbyNature in their #NXTUnderground Match at Week Two of #NXTSpringBreakin… #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/SuQSOhrAIr
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) April 19, 2024
Fans couldn’t digest Lola Vice’s words about Gaethje since they perceived her as a performer in a scripted show, In fact, most of the comments defended ‘The Highlight’ from being used as a reference for a brutal KO.
One such comment read, “@Justin_Gaethje Would knock you out, never slander him ever again”
@Justin_Gaethje Would knock you out, never slander him ever again
— Chama (@IWILLFIGHT24901) April 19, 2024
Another fan replied, “Gaethje is 100x the fighter this Z-List actor could ever be.”
Gathje is 100x the fighter this Z-List actor could ever be.
— Daddest Man On The Planet (@PapaWhim) April 20, 2024
One more follower had a similar opinion. His words read, “That was not cool mentioning Gaethje. Just keep shaking that b**ty and keep it to that.”
That was not cool mentioning Gaethe. Just keep shaking that booty and keep it to that.
— Anthony Ardisson (@hamcrabber) April 19, 2024
Another of them said, “Stop slandering Gaethje’s name”
STOP SLANDERING GAETHJE’S NAME
— Charlie é Gay Olives (@CC51070992) April 19, 2024
Several fans may be confused by Lola Vice’s words about having three KO victories since WWE matches can’t be won via KOs. However, a look at her entire combat sports career will reveal that she has competed in MMA as well. However, fans may have enough reasons to deride Vice even after considering her experience in pro-MMA.
Lola Vice’s MMA record is way inferior to Justin Gaethje’s MMA accolades
Lola Vice used to fight as Valerie Loureda during her pro-MMA career, which is also her real name. Yet, a look at her pro-MMA career reveals that it was a pretty short-lived one. Loureda may boast about having three KO victories, but she missed out on mentioning that one of them came in her only amateur fight. Her overall pro-MMA record reads 4-1.
On the other hand, Gaethje is a battle-tested warrior who gets the audience to their feet with his in-octagon performances. The Arizona native is massively beloved by fans due to the violent nature of his fights. ‘The Highlight’ leaves Loureda way behind in terms of total fights, even if just his UFC scraps are taken into consideration.
The 35-year-old has also won eight of his thirteen UFC encounters. Moreover, the fact that he has bagged eleven post-fight bonuses from those eight victories proves that his fights are known for their exhilarating action. The comments on Vice’s video might make her think twice before she uses the name of any such beloved UFC star as a degrading example.
