Alejandra Lara handed nine-month ban after cocaine metabolite test at Tuff-N-Uff 153

Former Bellator flyweight title challenger Alejandra Lara has been suspended for nine months and fined by the Nevada Athletic Commission after testing positive for benzoylecgonine, a cocaine metabolite, in connection with her April 24 appearance at Tuff-N-Uff 153. The 32-year-old Colombian settled the case with the commission and will not be eligible to compete again until January 24, 2027.

In addition to the suspension, Lara was fined $412.50 and ordered to cover $250.60 in legal fees. The positive test was linked to her bout against Jaleen Robledo at Tuff-N-Uff 153, a fight Lara lost via third-round guillotine choke.

The defeat pushed Lara’s professional record to 12-10. Since leaving Bellator in 2023, she has gone 3-3, suggesting a mixed return to the regional circuit after years in one of MMA’s top promotions.

Lara spent the bulk of her career inside Bellator’s women’s flyweight division, compiling a 3-6 record with the organisation. Her highest-profile moment came in June 2018 when she challenged Ilima-Lei Macfarlane for the Bellator women’s flyweight title, falling short via third-round armbar.

Benzoylecgonine is the primary metabolite produced when the body processes cocaine and is the compound most commonly detected in standard drug screening. Its presence in a post-fight sample is treated as a doping violation under athletic commission rules regardless of when the substance was consumed.