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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.

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As has been known to happen in MMA, Lara’s opponent missed weight. Avsaragova tipped the scales at 128.8 pounds for the pair’s flyweight fight.

Lara (9-6) was actually up late the night before weigh-ins, jumping on a live stream by the hotel pool and even going for a dip. She gave her reaction to her opponent’s miss, speaking to Cageside Press following Friday’s weigh-in.

“She [told] me I’m sorry. I know that can happen. I think it’s maybe, a little bit a lack of experience on the weight cuts,” Lara suggested. “It was hard for me too, there’s never an easy cut. But yeah, you’re learning with time, and doing and doing it again. I think she just needs to do it more.”

“It’s okay. That can happen,” she added. In terms of the catchweight, “we were discussing that already,” Lara noted, asked whether Avsaragova’s camp had reached out beforehand.

Despite the miss, there’s no hard feels on Alejandra Lara’s part, and that seems to be the norm for the Colombian fighter.

“We don’t know each other, this is the first time we’ve seen each other. I don’t really have any problem with my opponents,” she told us. “Actually I was training with two of my ex-opponents for this training camp, and we have a good relationship.”

“We fight each other, but that’s business.”

Lara spent the end of her training camp at 10th Planet in San Diego, training alongside former opponent Ilima-Lei Macfarlane.

“That was amazing, actually, because since the first fight we had, we had that good energy, good vibes all the time. And then we see each other in San Diego, I was looking for a place, I was exploring. And she was like ‘hey if you’re coming, you can stay with me, we can help each other.’ And I was like ‘that sounds great,’ and it was an awesome training camp. Actually my ex-opponents were my biggest supporters.”

Marfarlane also helped Lara with her confidence, she added. “Ilima helped me a lot with that, like ‘hey, you already fought the badasses in our division, and you proved that the best grappler in our division, you took her back.” Macfarlane also told her not to doubt herself. “So I’m coming in a different position mentally, physically, and emotionally, in all the stages. I feel happy, I feel like I’ve discovered myself again.”

Alejandra Lara faces Diana Avsaragova on the preliminary card of Bellator 290 at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, CA on February 4, 2023.

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Alejandra Lara (9-6) will fight Diana Avsaragova (5-0) at the promotion’s 2023 debut on February 4, 2023. Cageside Press confirmed the booking with a source familiar with the situation on Tuesday, following an initial report by MMA Junkie.

Lara, a former title challenger in the organization, will be looking to pull out of a tail spin in the fight, after dropping her last three bouts. In that stretch, she’s suffered defeat at the hands of Kana Watanabe, DeAnna Bennett, and most recently, Ilara Joanne. Still, she’s managed to hang on to her #10 ranking at 125lbs — though that is likely to change with another setback.

Avsaragova has been perfect in her professional career thus far, besting Kyra Batara in her last outing. The 24-year old is 3-0 under the Bellator banner, and competed in wrestling in her native Russia earlier in her athletic career.

Bellator 290 takes place on February 4, 2023 at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, CA. A heavyweight title fight between champ Ryan Bader and the retiring legend Fedor Emelianenko headlines the event; the light heavyweight title is on the line in the co-feature. That fight sees Vadim Nemkov defend against Yoel Romero.

The following match-ups have been reported for Bellator 290 to date:

• Ryan Bader (c) vs. Fedor Emelianenko – for the Bellator MMA heavyweight championship
• Vadim Nemkov (c) vs. Yoel Romero – for the Bellator MMA light heavyweight championship
• Sabah Homasi vs. Brennan Ward
• Karl Albrektsson vs. Grant Neal
• Ethan Hughes vs. Yusuf Karakaya
• Chris Gonzalez vs. Max Rohskopf
• Jornel Lugo vs. Jaylon Bates
• Max Rohskopf vs. Chris Gonzalez
• Alejandra Lara vs. Diana Avsaragova

The post Alejandra Lara vs. Diana Avsaragova Added to Bellator 290 appeared first on Cageside Press.

A former title challenger, Lara (9-5) will be looking to snap a two-fight losing streak, having dropped back-to-back fights against Kana Watanabe and DeAnna Bennett.

“I think this last year was very turbulent. I had a lot of changes, and I know that mentally and emotionally, I had something that I was carrying with me,” she told Cageside Press in a recent interview. “What I realized since my last fight was that I needed to focus. I was there, yeah, training, but in the moment of the fight, I know I did some things that was just [from] being not connected in the moment.”

That’s something she worked on specifically ahead of her return against Joanne — including taking up meditation. “Things that right now give me more confidence, and definitely more focus.”

The mental aspect, and living in the moment, is something that is important to “Azul.”

“I think I pay a lot of attention [to] those things, because I’m a very sensitive person,” Lara explained. Even her nickname, ‘Azul,’ which means blue, represents “all of these emotional environments, that you need to control or at least know how to deal with it. And I’ve learned a lot of things about connecting our brains. We have our brain, but also our heart, our stomach, our sexual organs, that have a lot of information that we need to know how to process. And that is [the same] with our feelings, too.”

What it all comes down to, is that in her morning meditation or other training, Lara is actively working to be present.

“Sometimes you’re training, and you’re not there. Your mind is out, it’s in your things, it’s in your future, the past. So you have to train how to be present. It’s what I’ve been doing this time.”

As for the match-up with Ilara Joanne, “I think this is a very good match to be Fight of the Night,” noted Lara. “She has a very intense style, going always forward. I have something that, I think she is not ready [for]. So I hope to come with it, stronger than ever. Specifically mentally, and I think that’s all that I need.”

“I feel very excited, because I know this is going to be an amazing fight.”

Watch our full interview with Bellator 282’s Alejandra Lara above. The event takes place this Friday, June 24, 2022 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT.

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On Tuesday, Bellator MMA announced via press release that Mousasi (49-7-2) will face Eblen (11-0) atop the organization’s June 24, 2022 event at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. It’s the second straight match-up for Mousasi against an undefeated ATT fighter; in February, he quickly dispatched rising star Austin Vanderford.

In addition to the middleweight main event, the June 24 card will also feature two quarterfinal bouts in the bantamweight grand prix. One sees #4 ranked Magomed Magomedov (18-2) facing the winner of the wild card fight between Josh Hill and Enrique Barzola. The second pits #6 ranked Leandro Higo (21-5) opposite the Jornel Lugo vs. Danny Sabatello winner.

Bellator’s bantamweight grand prix kicks off in late April, when the promotion heads to Hawaii. Bellator 279 sees an interim title fight between Juan Archuleta and Raufeon Stots, a fight necessitated by an injury to champ Sergio Pettis. The other quarterfinal bout features Kyoji Horiguchi against Patchy Mix.

As for Bellator’s June 24 event at the Mohegan Sun, it will also play host to a women’s flyweight match-up featuring Alejandra Lara vs. Ilara Joanne. Lara (9-5), ranked #5 in the weight class, is a former title challenger, but has dropped her last two bouts. The unranked Joanne (9-6) has also lost two straight, most recently to former Invicta FC champ Vanessa Porto.

The post Bellator: Mousasi vs. Eblen, Bantamweight Grand Prix Quarterfinals Announced for June 24 appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I always try to enjoy what I’m doing. I think it’s not about suffering. The opposite. Right now I feel more prepared than ever, in every sense,” Lara told Cageside Press in an exclusive interview ahead of her next fight, going on to add that “I feel this is my best camp til now.”

Lara (9-4) is 2-1 across her last three fights, but will be looking to bounce back from a loss to Kana Watanabe when she enters the cage this weekend. Opposite her will be Invicta FC and TUF veteran DeAnna Bennett.

It’s a match-up Lara, a former title challenger at flyweight, is very happy with. “I think it’s great for me right now, because I feel I have the space to work with my striking, but also to defend and to go with my game,” she said. “I feel it’s a very good match, because she’s a very known, name fighter. She’s looking for that position in the top, and I’m not going to let her take it.”

People often forget just how green Lara was when she arrived in Bellator, and how quickly she shot to the top. That’s something she addressed, noting that it wasn’t just the years, but the mileage. Or lack thereof.

“It’s not just, I was young. I didn’t have that experience compared to the people I had to fight with.” Fighting in Colombia and Mexico didn’t really prepare her for entering Bellator, Lara stated. “I started, I say, with nothing. In a way, I started developing my style and knowing myself in the game [in Bellator]. Now, in every fight, you can see the difference, the advances. I feel maybe the last fight was the only one where I couldn’t show my development and improvements.”

But that said, Lara added that she’s a completely different fighter now.

Bellator 266 takes place this Saturday, September 18 at the SAP Center in San Jose, CA. Alejandra Lara vs. DeAnna Bennett goes down on the main card, airing live on Showtime in the U.S. Watch our full interview with Lara above!

For still more from Alejandra Lara, here Bellator 266 media day scrum is below!

The post Bellator 266: Alejandra Lara Not About to Let DeAnna Bennett Take Her Spot appeared first on Cageside Press.

With a new women’s flyweight champ in Juliana Velasquez, the 125lb division felt wide open. While Liz Carmouche likely sits first in line, Lara’s two straight victories had her creeping up on a second shot at gold. Watanabe could easily make a case as well, if she were to pick up the win over the former title challenger.

Lara quite literally danced her way out to the cage ahead of Friday’s main card opener. There was a different kind of dance after the opening bell, with Lara getting right to work, landing a couple of solid punches off a leg kick before Watanabe managed to secure a takedown. Lara was able to buck the Japanese fighter off, but gave up her back trying to escape. That allowed Watanabe to control for a minute, but the Colombian would scramble out.

In an opening round in which both ladies had their moments, the script would be flipped moments later. Watanabe would execute a trip, but it was Lara landing in mount, then taking the back. Watanabe looked to escape out the back door while Lara attempted to flatten her opponent out; eventually, the Japanese fighter would break free. Kana would land a couple of punches shortly after, and Lara would hit home with a left hand. A sharp inside leg kick by Lara almost took Watanabe’s feet out from under her.

Don't blink!@alejazulara and @kanawatanabe821 are going toe-to-toe LIVE on @SHOsports. #Bellator255 pic.twitter.com/r6iXNHzF7H

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) April 3, 2021

Early in the second, Watanabe landed her right hand, and added a knee in the clinch. But Lara rocked Watanabe with some heavy blows in the clinch, including a couple of elbows. In the next clinch, however, Watanabe’s judo was on display again as she landed a trip, going straight to side control. Lara rolled, tangling up one of Watanabe’s legs; the judoka looked for an arm-triangle choke as they settled in on the ground. Transitioning to the top, Lara moved into half-guard, but had to contend with submission attempts from Watanabe, who transitioned to Lara’s back. That allowed her to score some ground and pound at round’s end.

Both fighters had proven game through two rounds; in the third, Watanabe tried to walk through Lara’s left hand. That had the expected results. So did a trip by the Japanese fighter, however, and Lara was once again on her back. Watanabe sat in full guard, eating up clock as Lara tried to strike from bottom and create an opening to scramble out. She would, sort of, escape — in the final ten seconds of the round. The third-frame dominance locked up the win for Japan’s Kana Watanabe, who remains undefeated.

Official Result: Kana Watanabe def. Alejandra Lara by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

The post Bellator 255 Results: Third Round Earns Kana Watanabe Decision Against Game Alejandra Lara appeared first on Cageside Press.

Nearly five months after his defeat of Pedro Carvalho, Patricio “Pitbull” Freire was finally back in action in the Bellator featherweight grand prix. His opponent on the marquee of Bellator 255 was a familiar name, Emmanuel Sanchez — who Pitbull had defeated in 2018 to retain 145lb gold. Awaiting the winner, a shot at the undefeated AJ McKee, along with a million dollars for winning the entire tournament.

In the co-main event, meanwhile, Neiman Gracie would go up against Jason Jackson in an interesting contrast of styles. The welterweight scrap also had clear implications for the title picture in the division. Also on the card, Alejandra Lara, former flyweight title challenger, faced off with Kana Watanabe, and Usman Nurmagomedov, cousin of ex-UFC champ Khabib, made his promotional debut.

Bellator 255 did not just mark the resumption of the grand prix. It was also Bellator’s coming out party on Showtime — and in a rare treat, the card, in its entirety, was offered up free to viewers in the U.S. and Canada across multiple platforms.

Tune in starting at 6PM ET to watch the entire Bellator 255 card, the live stream of which can be found above. Full results can be found below!

Bellator 255: Pitbull vs. Sanchez 2 Results

Main Card

Patricio Pitbull (c) def. Emmanuel Sanchez by technical submission (guillotine choke), Round 1, 3:35 – for the Bellator featherweight world championship / featherweight grand prix semifinal
Jason Jackson def. Neiman Gracie by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Tyrell Fortune def. Jack May by TKO, Round 1, 3:16
Usman Nurmagomedov def. Mike Hamel by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Kana Watanabe def. Alejandra Lara by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Preliminary Card

Magomed Magomedov def. Cee Jay Hamilton by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 1:22
Mandel Nallo def. Ricardo Seixas by knockout, Round 1, 3:23
Khalid Murtazaliev def. Fabio Aguiar by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Christopher Gonzalez def. Roger Huerta by submission (strikes), Round 3, 3:01
Jose Augusto def. Jonathan Wilson by submission (arm triangle choke), Round 1, 4:58
Roman Faraldo def. Trevor Gudde by TKO, Round 1, 1:30
Jordan Newman def. Branko Busick by TKO, Round 2, 2:30

The post Bellator 255: Pitbull vs. Sanchez 2 Live Stream and Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

The main event, of course, had double-champ Patricio Pitbull putting his 145lb title on the line against Emmanuel Sanchez. A rematch of their 2018 title fight, the winner would move on to face AJ McKee in the grand prix finale.

In the co-main event, welterweight submission machine Neiman Gracie was paired up with Jason Jackson, in a fight with clear title implications. Besides those top 10 welterweights, Tyrell Fortune would run it back with Jack May, Usman Nurmagomedov was set to debut against Mike Hamel, and Alejandra Lara was returning against Japan’s Kana Watanabe.

Our picks are in! Check below to find out who we see getting their hand raised on Bellator 255’s main card.

Writer	Alejandra Lara vs. Kana Watanabe	Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Mike Hamel	Tyrell Fortune vs. Jack May	Neiman Gracie vs. Jason Jackson	Patricio Pitbull vs. Emmanuel Sanchez
Alex Behunin (21-12)
Dan Doherty (31-21)
Ryan Fortune (30-22)
Gabriel Gonzalez (28-24)
Justin Gibbons (28-24)
Mike McClory (23-21)
Joe McDonagh (22-26)
Jay Anderson (23-29)

Not a single writer was willing to pick against the debuting Usman Nurmagomedov at Bellator 255, no doubt thanks in part to his family name. Nor was anyone up for siding against Tyrell Fortune in his rematch with Jack May, after their first meeting ended in a no contest due to a low blow.

Our staff was far more split on the Neiman Gracie vs. Jason Jackson and Alejandra Lara vs. Kana Watanabe fights. The Lara-Watanabe fight was an event split, as was Gracie-Jackson.

Just one writer sided with Emmanuel Sanchez in the main event, meanwhile. Instead, it was a landslide for P4P best Patricio Pitbull.

The post Bellator 255: Pitbull vs. Sanchez 2 Main Card Staff Picks appeared first on Cageside Press.

The fight is the second semifinal in the ongoing Bellator featherweight grand prix. The winner will not only hold gold, but move on to face AJ McKee in the final — with one million dollars on the line.

Also on the card, Neiman Gracie, Tyrell fortune, the debut of Usman Nurmagomedov, and Alejandra Lara — who stole the show weighing in dressed as a butterfly.

The event is also the debut of Bellator MMA on Showtime in the United States — but it will stream live and free online in both the U.S. and Canada on multiple platforms including Cageside Press!

Check below for a gallery of highlights and full results from Thursday’s weigh-in!

Bellator 255: Pitbull vs. Sanchez 2 Weigh-In Results

Main Card

Featherweight: Patricio Pitbull (c) (144.1) vs. Emmanuel Sanchez (144.5) – for the Bellator featherweight world championship / featherweight grand prix semifinal
Welterweight: Neiman Gracie (170) vs. Jason Jackson (170.9)
Heavyweight: Tyrell Fortune (251.2) vs. Jack May (264.3)
Lightweight: Usman Nurmagomedov (155.2) vs. Mike Hamel (155)
Women’s flyweight: Alejandra Lara (124.2) vs. Kana Watanabe (124.8)

Preliminary Card

Bantamweight: Magomed Magomedov (135) vs. Cee Jay Hamilton (134.4)
Welterweight: Mukhamed Berkhamov (173.8)* vs. Herman Terrado (169.5)
Lightweight: Mandel Nallo (154.9) vs. Ricardo Seixas (154.9)
Middleweight: Fabio Aguiar (187.7)** vs. Khalid Murtazaliev (183.6)
160lb Catchweight: Roger Huerta (159.4) vs. Chris Gonzalez (159.2)
Light Heavyweight: Jose Augusto (203.2) vs. Jonathan Wilson (204.2)
Welterweight: Roman Faraldo (171.1)*** vs. Trevor Gudde (170)
Middleweight: Jordan Newman (185.1) vs. Branko Busick (183.8)

* Berkhamov misses the welterweight limit by 2.8lbs. Fight has been scratched.

** Aguiar misses the middleweight limit by 1.7lbs

*** Faraldo misses wieght by 0.1lbs

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