Colombia’s Alejandra Lara might not be the most well-known fighter in Bellator’s flyweight ranks, but she has a huge opportunity in a title fight this Friday at Bellator 201.
You would be forgiven for not knowing much about current Bellator flyweight title challenger Alejandra Lara. With just one fight in the promotion, she’s been fast-tracked to a fight with 125lb title holder Ilima-Lei Macfarlane. That means that Fight Week is a “getting to know you” session for Lara (7-1), who fielded questions from the media Wednesday ahead of the biggest fight of her career at Bellator 201 this Friday in the main event.
When Lara, a native of Colombia, steps into the cage in Temecula, CA, she’ll be showing the Bellator faithful just who she is as a fighter. And that starts with the walkout track, which she says is “really important for me. It’s part of the performance. Everything that you are as a fighter.”
“When you listen to the song that makes you feel that energy,” she continued. The people watching, the fans, do as well. “It represents Colombia, it represents who I am, I love it.”
Lara, who credits her time as an aerial gymnast for her strength and agility, has no beef with the champ, a feeling that appears mutual. “I really like her. I think [she’s] a good person,” she said of Ilima-Lei Macfarlane. “Our countries have lots of things in common. Also the flower she uses — it’s also my favorite flower. There’s mutual respect, I respect her a lot. I respect her work for girl’s education in her country [the Illiminator scholarship]. It’s awesome, I want to do the same things.”
When asked by Cageside Press what it would mean to bring the title home, Lara answered that “for me, it’s being an an example for not just Colombia but Latino Americans. You can achieve anything you want with determination and hard work. I feel nothing is impossible if you work for it.”
The only blemish on Lara’s record to date came against fellow Colombian Sabina Mazo. Mazo, 5-0, has blossomed into a star for LFA. It’s a fight that might be tabbed as a rematch if Mazo and Lara were ever under the same umbrella in terms of promotion. However, it’s not a fight Alejandra is interested in at the moment.
“I think right now, we are representing the same country, same city, we have careers that are growing,” Lara said of the possibility. “It’s not necessary for now. I respect her a lot, I like her, I wish her the best. Some day, if we are in the same ranking, it’s going to happen, but for now, it’s not something that I need.”
You can view the full Bellator 201 pre-fight press scrum with Alejandra Lara above. She’ll face Ilima-Lei Macfarlane in the main event this Friday, June 29, with the flyweight title on the line. The main card airs live on the Paramount Network.
