Alejandra Lara discusses the next chapter of her career as “Azul” prepares to fight Gisela Luna for Combate Global this Saturday.
One thing Alejandra Lara has always had is the ability to show her personality to the audience watching. It is what has made her a fan favorite throughout a roughly seven year career with Bellator and has now brought her to a headliner for the Latin American centric promotion Combate Global.
Lara has long been one of the stand out female prospects to come out of Latin America, being a part of the highly respected Lobo Gym that has produced the likes of UFC champion Alexa Grasso, and contenders like Irene Aldana and Diego Lopes to name a few. That’s not to mention her other work that has raised her profile, with appearances on the hit Latin American reality show Exatlon and working as a commentator for the Colombian based promotion Naciones MMA.
It is that fact that makes her next fight with Combate Global such a perfect pairing. The promotion has become a staple of Spanish network television and consistently draws great ratings in South America and beyond. While Bellator is widely respected as one of the top global promotions in the world, Lara acknowledges that this fight is being more promoted to the same audience that saw her on reality tv and that has been good for her business wise.
“Yes! It was actually even easier to get a couple sponsorships because of that. They know Combate for Latino people which is my public, my main crowd. It’s a great platform as you say. I even have family in Miami. Everyone is like ‘Oh where can we watch your fight? It’s easier for them now to watch this fight and now I’m glad.”
A veteran of Bellator since 2017, Lara had signed a new deal at the time of her last fight in January of 2024. However, her multi-fight skid and the acquisition of Bellator by the PFL led to her being released from her contract by the new ownership. While it was a blow, Lara said she knew to be prepared for anything from a business perspective.
“Well that was something that I was prepared for. I’m very into being prepared for the worst scenario so we were also considering ‘okay what are we going to do next if they don’t re-sign [me]? They actually renewed my contract but then everything changed and it’s okay. I just accepted that and we were expecting something to happen. I was just focusing on being ready for whatever and that’s what happened. I’m so glad and so grateful to Combate for this opportunity and very excited for this fight.”
Combate Global had originally planned to have Lara take on their homegrown talent Lucero “Loba” Acosta (5-2) in what would have been a pairing of two individuals with huge followings. However, an injury to Acosta led to a new opponent for Lara: former Argentinian national kickboxing champion and 5-1 MMA professional Gisela Luna. The fight is a notable change up, with Acosta being more known for her social media presence while Luna is an unknown who (on paper) figures to pose a more formidable challenge. That said, Lara says the preparation has not veered that much from the original course.
“I think the game plan didn’t change that much because the style is pretty similar. They are kickboxers, they are very tough and come forward. So it didn’t change that much in my training or in my strategy. I think it’s a very good match. It’s an exciting match for me.”
At just 29 years old, “Azul” is still in a great place to have a strong third chapter in her professional career. Whether that be in another showcase like the one she will have this Saturday for Combate Global, or another shot at joining a major MMA organization, Lara says she’s only focused on her upcoming challenge.
“The first thing is I feel I’m a new fighter now. I fixed some problems that were holding me from giving my full potential before. Like my back situation. Now I’m feeling so healthy, so capable of doing all that I can do and I know this is going to show up in the fight. I always like to go one step at a time. That’s the thing. I’ll start winning. Winning. And then let’s see what happens.”
Alejandra Lara takes on Gisela Luna at Combate Global’s event this Saturday on May 11, 2024.
