Former Bellator title challenger suspended for cocaine metabolite

Former Bellator title challenger suspended for cocaine metabolite. Nolan King MMA Junkie.

Key points

• Colombia's Lara, 32, tested positive around her April 24 bout at Tuff-N-Uff 153.
• During the Scott Coker-era of Bellator, Lara served as a staple of the women's flyweight division.
• Former Bellator contender Alejandra Lara has been suspended and fined after she tested positive for cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine.
• Mambe originates from the Amazon rainforest, and it is sent to me by Indigenous elders from the region.
• Hours after the NAC's vote, Lara tweeted on social media that the positive test stemmed from her employ of mambe, a powder produced from toasted coca leaf.

Former Bellator title challenger suspended for cocaine metabolite. Nolan King MMA Junkie. (This story has been updated with comment from Alejandra Lara).

According to The Nevada Athletic Commission on Wednesday, it reached a settlement agreement with Lara (12-10) over the positive test that consists of a nine-month suspension, $412.50 fine, and $250.60 in legal fees. Lara will be eligible to return Jan. 24, 2027.

Hours after the NAC's vote, Lara tweeted on social media that the positive test stemmed from her employ of mambe, a powder produced from toasted coca leaf. Mambe is deeply rooted in South American indigenous cultures. Like cocaine, both mambe and coca leaves are illegal in the United States and are considered stimulants.

I had been appealing the suspension because consuming coca leaf is a cultural practice in South America, and it's something I've done for many years, Lara wrote on X. Mambe originates from the Amazon rainforest, and it is sent to me by Indigenous elders from the region.

She continued, "As I've always consumed Mambe, I obtained too confident and chew it in the fight week. My mistake. The suspension ends in January. In the meantime I'm training and looking for opportunities to fight in other countries that aren't under the jurisdiction of the Nevada Commission."

Colombia's Lara, 32, tested positive around her April 24 bout at Tuff-N-Uff 153. She lost via third-round guillotine submission to Jaleen Robledo. The loss dropped her to 3-3 since her Bellator departure in 2023.

During the Scott Coker-era of Bellator, Lara served as a staple of the women's flyweight division. She went 3-6 under the promotion's banner and challenged for the title at Bellator 201 vs. Ilima Lei Macfarlane. Lara lost the June 2018 bout via third-round armbar. SMS Facebook Twitter Email.

In short, former Bellator title challenger suspended for cocaine metabolite is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.