Alejandra Lara’s life has undergone major changes.
The former Bellator title challenger was contemplating putting her fighting career on hold, and even had the possibility of retirement cross her mind, just a few months ago.
Today, she’s in a much different spot. Lara (9-5 MMA, 3-4 BMMA) is excited to see how far she can go in her MMA journey and is days away from a return to the cage. The 27-year-old Colombian takes on Ilara Joanne in a women’s flyweight contest at Friday’s Bellator 282 in Uncasville, Conn.
Lara is eager to get her career back on track following a pair of defeats in her past outings. This return is a special one for Lara due to some difficult circumstances she had to overcome.
“I have a situation with my spine that has to do with genetics and also because I’ve put it through a lot of impact and extreme things I’ve done,” Lara told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “I was suffering a lot because of my spine.”
Back problems weren’t something new for Lara. She’s experienced issues and discomfort since she was 17 years old. Over the years, she learned how to manage the pain and has been able to have a successful MMA career that saw her win a regional title in Mexico and challenge for a championship belt in Bellator.
But unfortunately, in December 2021, Lara’s issues got worse.
“Going through a spine surgery at this age, it was a very complicated picture,” Lara said. “It’s a complicated picture. So I said, ‘I need to try all the alternatives before going to a surgeon.’ And I did it.
“Right now, I’m eating meat, yes. I have a sponsor that promotes conscious consumption. It promotes proper raising from animal products. So with their help, I began to do a carnivore diet plan. I have a cyst that pressures my sciatic nerve, so that’s why I couldn’t be standing, laying down, I couldn’t sleep. It was truly driving me crazy. I thought, ‘Am I going to have to retire?.’
“I’m taking supplements, doing therapy, but I mainly attribute the change to, is the diet. In the second week, the pain was gone. I was able to remember and experience life without discomfort. I had forgotten about that. I feel like that’s the biggest victory I’ve had so far.
“I’m training like I haven’t before. I’ve also seen a lot of changes in my body. It’s been difficult. I went from being vegan to even eating raw meat like raw liver. But it’s been a long time since I’ve eaten for pleasure. I mainly eat for nutrition and what makes me feel good now.”
Lara shifted her nutrition towards an anti-inflammatory diet. She’s also been doing fasting, among other things, and has found the combination aids her significantly with her back issues. She’s also experienced relief from minor joint issues that came with the wear and tear of training.
Lara had an explosive start to her career following a professional debut in 2011. She went 7-1 before getting the opportunity to challenge then Bellator women’s flyweight champion Ilima-Lei Macfarlane in 2018. She would go on to drop her following bout in a closely contested split-decision loss to Juliana Velasquez, who would go on to become champion.
Lara rebounded with two dominant wins, outpointing veteran Veta Arteaga and finishing Taylor Turner in a first-round TKO. But since, she’s dropped decisions to Kana Watanabe and DeAnna Bennett.
“Azul” knows she’s hit a rocky patch, but she’s proud of what she’s been able to achieve in her career and firmly believes her best days are still ahead.
“With the way things started for me, I think I’ve done an incredible job,” Lara said. “I know that I’ve made mistakes along the way, but people have seen that I have what it takes, and that’s why I’m still in the top five (rankings at Bellator). I know it and they know that I have the tools to be here and fight the champion. I’ve fought the toughest in the division, and I’m no longer afraid of anything.
“The only thing I can do now is improve. I know that in my last fights, I wasn’t able to show everything I wanted to in regard to my advancement in many areas, but that can only be in my favor now. I have many things that I’ve been working on and growing, that my opponent is unaware of. I’m coming with a surprise factor.”