By now you’ve seen Alejandra Lara’s message.  Her call to action written in black marker to help the Amazonian rainforest, a part of which resides in her home country of Colombia.  The photo quickly made the rounds across social media in the MMA world and beyond.  There was no bigger agenda behind the statement.  Quite simply, Lara saw a situation that she felt needed assistance and used her voice to help find it.

“Well, I didn’t expect it to receive the reaction that it did.  I did it without thinking much about what was going to happen.  It was in me and I decided to do it.  If you notice my other messages in Bellator, I wear the same makeup resembling the jungle.  It’s something that I feel and visualize and the reaction is good because it tells me people got the message.”

While the message on her body was clear, it was made louder by the fact that she delivered a throttling performance over Taylor Turner 24 hours later to get back in the win column.  On a card featuring several growing talents in the promotion, Lara stole the show back in August and immediately re-injected herself into the flyweight conversation.

It’s easy to forget that “Azul” is only 25 years old and still growing as a martial artist.  Last year, she burst onto the scene with a title fight against Ilima-Lei Macfarlane in what was only her second fight in Bellator.  Her effort led to another showcase, this time against surging contender Julianna Velasquez.  While coming up short in both bouts, Lara has not been discouraged but rather is using the experiences and growing from them.

“I truly believe that I have transformed a lot this year in all aspects.  This year I started from 0 with the basics.  I was working in Italy with my team.  I changed the way I move, kick, how I punch.  Obviously my strength is my striking, but I feel more confident and stronger in it than before.  My transformation since starting in karate has taken years and I feel very different.  My wrestling is another thing I’ve been working on and I love.  I was working on it since before my fight with Lena Ovychynnikova.  They did not expect me to know how to wrestle.  It’s something different than anything else but now I feel I have more basic details and more tools to use in my favor.”

.@AlejAzuLara always has a smile on her face in and out of the cage!

She takes on @Ms_Veta next Friday at the Blaisdell Center in Honolulu!
(#BellatorHawaii tickets available via the link below.)https://t.co/wJeVhkP6uN pic.twitter.com/dM9ujwp4Be

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) December 13, 2019

Her recent surge in popularity comes at the perfect time for Bellator’s return to the Hawaiian islands.  The card will feature three major fights in the division: Champion Ilima Macfarlane against Kate Jackson, Julianna Velasquez against Bruna Ellen, and Lara against Arteaga.  While fighters like Josh Barnett, AJ McKee, and Erik Perez will also be in action, it is clear that the women of the flyweight division have been set up to be the focus of the weekend.

“I think it is a beautiful opportunity to be able to share it with them as comrades and not just as rivals.  We know that women’s MMA has a larger audience.  For example, the fact that the fight with Ilima broke the record with more than 800,000 people watching.  I believe that people now know that there is much more to women’s MMA than what was originally expected.”

From an outside perspective, Friday’s fight certainly feels like deja vu.  Lara is once again competing against another contender in a fight with major title implications on the night before the flyweight championship is on the line.  Not for nothing, it is also going to be held in exactly the same venue at the Neal S. Blaisdell arena.  When asked if the fight this Friday is redemption for not getting the victory last year, Lara maintains that she does not carry any demons from her last trip to Hawaii into her latest bout.

“For me, the scenarios are very different.  For example, when I fought for the world title it was just my second fight in Bellator.  I showed a lack of experience but I needed to see that in order to see my mistakes and work on them.  I have a lot of time to do it, now I feel that I am a totally different fighter.  I feel well prepared, totally different, and not as apprehensive as before.  I think that you always go in thinking about winning.  I don’t believe you ever go in thinking ‘I am going to lose this one.’ “

https://twitter.com/BellatorMMA/status/1200856320389402629?s=20

Lara will be taking on Veta Arteaga, the most recent title challenger who went three rounds with Macfarlane back in May.  Artega made her way to the title with victories over Brooke Mayo, former title challenger Emily Ducote, and Bellator kickboxing champion Denise Kieholtz.  “Azul” enters the bout recognizing exactly what makes her a high level threat.

“Her style is to bring a lot of pressure. She’s always coming forward.  She has finished most opponents by tiring them out and taking them to the last round.  Her technical isn’t always the cleanest or most spectacular but I have to be careful of her game and respect what she brings.  She has a lot of heat and right now I think she is a great match-up for me.”

Finally, she predicts there will be no major upset in the main event on Saturday although she admits a bit of personal motivation behind her pick.

“I believe that Ilima will win again.  I hope that she does because after winning this fight there is a better chance that I can get a rematch with her.  But of course, anything can happen.”

The post Bellator USO: Alejandra Lara Continues Her Pursuit of Greatness appeared first on Cageside Press.

Bellator’s return to the Hawaiian Islands is bringing a key women’s flyweight fight with it. Top 125lb’ers Bruna Ellen and Juliana Velasquez will face off at the event, which is headlined by flyweight champion Ilima-Lei Macfarlane defending her title against Kate Jackson. Bellator officials confirmed this latest fight with Cageside Press, following an initial report by Hawaii’s own KITV.

With Jackson getting the title shot, Velasquez vs. Ellen holds promise as a potential title eliminator. Velasquez (9-0) is coming off a TKO finish of Kristina Williams earlier this year. That marked her third win under the Bellator MMA banner — with five of her nine wins overall ending in a finish.

Ellen also fought Williams, in November of last year, coming up short in that fight. However she bounced back against Elina Kallionidou in July at Bellator 224, winning via unanimous decision.

3-1 in her past four fights, Ellen holds a win over recent title challenger Veta Arteaga. Arteaga, it should be noted, also remains in the mix for another title shot. That’s after putting on a solid showing against Macfarlane at Bellator 220 in April, before a nasty cut opened up off an elbow ended her night early.

Bellator: Hawaii takes place December 21, 2019 at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii. A.J. McKee meets Derek Campos in the co-main event, as part of Bellator’s featherweight grand prix.

The post Juliana Velasquez vs. Bruna Ellen Booked for Bellator: Hawaii appeared first on Cageside Press.

MMA 2018 was notable perhaps more so for what what it lacked rather than what it had. Through the first half of the year, there was a real deficit in major events. The big players all seemed hurt or inactive. Bellator launched its heavyweight grand prix, but spread out across a twelve-month span, there was no single event that stole the show in the first half. UFC events seemed to pass by with a yawn.

Then came the second half. The return of Conor McGregor at UFC 229. The 25th anniversary card in Denver. Bellator stormed Hawaii with back-to-back shows. ONE put on Heart of the Lion. UFC 231 in Toronto served up two entertaining title fights.

In the end, one event stood out. Care to guess which?

Event of the Year 2018

Heath Harshman: This was the hardest decision to make, without a true stand-out event taking place in 2018. There were plenty of solid cards, but nothing like a UFC 205, UFC 217, or UFC 218. But at the beginning of 2018, a few great events took place. A couple of events main evented by Jeremy Stephens were near the top of my list, UFC St. Louis and UFC Orlando. But, UFC 220 was the best event of the year. Featuring the prequel to Cormier-Miocic in the summer, with both champs defending their belts in decisive fashion, Boston’s PPV was fantastic. There’s was plenty of other stuff to enjoy, too. An awesome Fight of the Night between Calvin Kattar and Shane Burgos nearly stole the show, while Rob Font knocked out Thomas Almeida with a head-kick.

Mike Straus: Short and sweet — UFC 225.

Jay Anderson: While a lot of folks will focus on the UFC, there’s a very strong argument to be made that Bellator had the event (make that events) of the year when they headed to Hawaii in mid-December. Scott Coker’s promotion did what the UFC has failed to do: bring a major MMA show to the Hawaiian islands. Both companies have popular Hawaiian champions, but just as the UFC failed to bring Joanna Jedrzejczyk to Poland and Conor McGregor to Ireland (when he had his belts), they failed to take Max Holloway home, at least thus far. Bellator did not make the same mistake, putting Ilima-Lei Macfarlane atop Bellator 213, where she came through with the biggest win of her career against Valerie Letourneau. Beyond that, Lyoto Machida made his debut, Neiman Gracie secured a title shot against Rory MacDonald, King Mo was knocked out by Liam McGeary, and a night earlier, Michael Chandler reclaimed lightweight gold just after Frank Mir tapped to strikes against Javy Ayala.

Josh Evanoff: UFC 229 was a giant event that would end up being the largest in the sports history. Selling 2.4 million PPV’s in the process, we saw Conor McGregor’s unsuccessful return to the octagon against Khabib. Khabib dominated and although there was controversy after the fight, it only added on to making the event bigger as the news of the brawl was everywhere. There was also Dominick Reyes’s coming out party, Derrick Lewis’s comeback, and an amazing fight between Anthony Pettis and Tony Ferguson.

Jesse Gillette: UFC 229: Khabib vs. McGregor is my pick for event of the year. We were treated to Derrick Lewis’ comeback KO against Alexander Volkov, a classic between Tony Ferguson and Anthony Pettis, and also the madness that was Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor + the aftermath. Viewers were intrigued from the start of the PPV to its climax and beyond… as we also got to witness Khabib Eagle himself over the cage to stomp out Dillon Danis, while McGregor instigated a group of thugs from Dagestan and started his own drama inside the cage. We’re still feeling the effects of that one.

Eddie Law: An improbable comeback by one of MMA’s most entertaining personalities when The Black Beast came back with a massive KO win in the last seconds of the fight, two high-level lightweight former champs putting together a ridiculously bloody fight, and the main event that was completely dwarfed by the chaos that followed it. UFC 229 was the craziest event and THE event of the year.

Paarth Pande: UFC 229. Any event that has a McGregor fight on is exciting. The buildup, the fight card, and the main event everything was awesome. Starting from Lewis’s hot balls comment, to Aspen Ladd’s knockout to the crazy Pettis vs Tony fight. The undercard delivered. Plus McGregor vs Khabib was fun. Khabib effectively shut McGregor down and the post-fight brawl was even more exciting.

Farzin Vousoughian: UFC 229. It had everything. The comedy from Derrick Lewis, the brawl from Anthony Pettis and return of Tony Ferguson, and of course, the highly anticipated fight between Khabib and Conor, plus the aftermath. The UFC did not like it, but let’s be honest, it had a lot of eyes and everyone was talking about it for days.

Mike McClory: I’m going with UFC 229 but not because of Conor and Khabib. This was very entertaining card that saw finishes from the opening bout until the very end. The only real negative of this card was the melee that kicked off after Khabib and Conor’s main event, but for some that might be reason enough to watch.

Dan Doherty: UFC 229. With the most pay-per-view buys of all-time by a longshot at 2.24 million, this was likely many people’s first time watching an event, and boy did it deliver. It started with Michelle Waterson showing her skills, then we had an incredible comeback by Derrick Lewis, leading to the greatest post-fight interview of all-time. Dominick Reyes proved to be one of the top talents at 205, then there was a Fight of the Year candidate between Tony Ferguson and Anthony Pettis in the co-main event. It all culminated with a matchup years in the making between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor. Khabib wiped the floor with the Irish superstar, then all hell broke loose with a post-fight brawl. Of course, that left a black eye on things, but finally being able to see those two battle and the preceding great fights/performances make UFC 229 the event of the year.

Gabriel Gonzalez: UFC 226. Now this one was tough. 223 in Brooklyn easily had the craziest week. 229 for Khabib vs McGregor was the biggest card. BUT, on fight night the card that delivered to me was 226 with the champ vs champ fight. History, upsets, and great performances throughout. Only one blemish, and that was Ngannou vs Lewis which will live in infamy.

The end result: With no other event getting more than a single vote, UFC 229 was the Event of the Year 2018!

The post MMA 2018 Year in Review: Event of the Year appeared first on Cageside Press.

Bellator’s debut in Hawaii has added a promising light heavyweight bout. Announced by Bellator CEO Scott Coker on Twitter Monday, “King” Mo Lawal will meet former 205lb champion Liam McGeary at the event. The card is set to be headlined by Hawaii’s own Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, Bellator’s women’s flyweight champion. She’ll be facing challenger Valerie Letourneau, a former UFC strawweight title challenger who is 2-0 since joining Bellator MMA.

The “Moneyweight” King of @BellatorMMA will join the “Pinapple Princess” @ilimanator and the “Dragon” @lyotomachidafw at #BellatorHawaii live on @DAZN_USA @KingMoFH vs. @liam_mcgeary

— Scott Coker (@ScottCoker) September 17, 2018

King Mo (21–7 (1)) was last seen at Bellator 199, where he was finished via TKO by Ryan Bader. The bout was part of Bellator’s World Heavyweight Grand Prix. Lawal has been trading wins and losses over his past five fights, with wins over Rampage Jackson and Satoshi Ishii. In addition to the Bader loss, he’s also dropped fights to Mirko Cro-Cop (in RIZIN FF) and Phil Davis.

Ex-champ McGeary (12-3), meanwhile, has struggled since losing his 205lb title to Phil Davis at Bellator 163. McGeary is 1-2 since that night in 2016, with his lone win coming against Brett McDermott at Bellator 173. He’s since lost two straight, against Linton Vassell and Vadim Nemkov most recently.

Bellator Hawaii, a.k.a. Bellator 210, takes place December 15 at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii. Former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto ‘The Dragon’ Machida also makes his promotional debut on the card.

The post King Mo vs. Liam McGeary Added to Bellator Hawaii appeared first on Cageside Press.

Given that the UFC has had stars from Hawaii before, most notably former champion BJ Penn and current featherweight champion Max Holloway, it seemed the UFC would naturally head to Hawaii at some point. However, Bellator MMA is making the first move at being the first big MMA promotion to make a stop in Hawaii, and it’s bringing the starpower for its December 15 debut. Hawaii’s KHON2 was first to break the news.

The main event of the card is a women’s flyweight title bout. One of Bellator’s homegrown talents, Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, will be putting her title on the line against former UFC title challenger Valérie Létourneau. Létourneau is 2-0 under the Bellator banner and last won at Bellator 201 against Kristina Williams to earn this opportunity at the title. Macfarlane was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and will fight in her home state for the first time in her career.

Also on the card as the co-main event is the Bellator debut of former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida. Machida, despite being 40, returned last year and is currently riding a two-fight winning streak. His opponent is the young Rafael Carvalho, a former middleweight champion. Carvalho lost his belt to Gegard Mousasi in May and is hoping to get back into the title picture with a win.

The UFC did run into some red tape when attempting to hold an event in Hawaii, making it interesting that their competitor was able to beat them to the state. With Scott Coker and crew breaking through, it seems that a Max Holloway-led event in Hawaii will be happening in the near future.

Bellator Hawaii goes down December 15 and will take place at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center, in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The post Bellator Hawaii: Event Set, Features Title Fight and Lyoto Machida appeared first on Cageside Press.