When Alejandra Lara used her body to deliver a message around the globe this week, about the threats the Amazon rain forests are facing, it was something that came from within — and came with the belief that all of us are in danger.
Bridgeport, CT — Bellator 225 could not have gone much better for former flyweight title challenger Alejandra Lara. At Friday’s weigh-in in Bridgeport CT, Colombia’s Lara used her time in front of the cameras to speak out on the plight of the planet, and in particular the vast expanse of rain forest currently burning in the Amazon. Then, at the event Saturday, she picked up a first round TKO of Taylor Turner, in a fight that re-established ‘Azul’ as a fighter to watch in the promotion.
The win snapped a two-fight skid, and put Lara back in the spotlight. Whether or not you’d call it a perfect fight is another matter. But Lara, at least, found some perfection in it, she told reporters including Cageside Press following the bout.
“This fight was, it ended as I was suspecting it would,” she said backstage. “It was perfect that way. I was expecting to finish it, and I feel really good about this.”
Her message to the planet eclipsed the event itself, making headlines around the globe while a record number of fires burned in the Amazon. While the vast majority of the Amazon exists within Brazil’s borders, 10% falls inside Colombia, making it a subject near and dear to her.
Her message at the weigh-in, however, wasn’t delivered with a specific end game in mind. “I really didn’t care about the result of that. It’s something that just came from me,” she explained Saturday. “Like I go out dancing,” she gave as an example, in reference to her tendency to dance her way to the cage before fights. “It’s something that I feel I have inside. It’s just my way to be with the world. It’s what I do, it’s my way to relate [with] the world.”
“It’s something that goes to the people who can accept it, and that’s it,” she added. Later, she would admit that “Some people react with some hate.” But, she pointed out, you can only “give what you have inside you. I don’t feel the bad reactions. I’m glad some people said thank you for that, thank you for thinking, not just about winning and getting money and saying ‘oh look what I have!’ No, it’s ‘what can I do for my world?’ for this.”
More to the point, Lara said that “I felt that this was an emergency, for doing something. We are in danger, all of us. If we don’t [take note of it], if we don’t do something, it’s going to be [too] late.”
Her message, to that end, is that “I just want that everyone knows that every single little thing that you can do in your everyday [life] counts. I try to do it every day, I try to reduce my impact on the world, I try to respect animals, I try to respect nature. And that’s it.”
As for her fighting future, despite the Taylor fight coming at 135lbs, it’s likely Alejandra Lara will return to flyweight next. “Yes, I feel good in my weight class, 125,” she said. At the same time, “I felt so strong at this weight. We will see.”
In the end, Lara said, “I think it depends on the opportunity, it depends on the opponent.”
Watch the full Bellator 225 post-fight press scrum with Alejandra Lara above.
