Tara LaRosa’s ten-year anniversary of fighting
This piece is to honor Tara’s 10th year anniversary of fighting.
Experience. Tara LaRosa has accomplished amazing things in her fight career so far, and she’s not done yet.
She debuted in HookNShoot in 2002, but has been training Judo and Jiu-jitsu way before that. She has competed in countless grappling competitions. She has a wealth of experience and mat-time, and it shows.
Skill. She’s a highly skilled athlete, and physically powerful. Although one could argue that she’s not the best striker in the world, nor the best grappler in the world, she is certainly highly skilled in all areas. Tara puts it all together and makes the ‘art’ in mixed martial arts ‘beautiful.’
(Tara vs Roxanne, Moosin 2010)
Record: Twenty-one wins, two losses! Her first 4-fight winning streak was broken by a TKO loss to Jennifer Howe, but she went on a 15-winning streak after that, defeating yours truly once by decision and then losing once to yours truly . Tara would have competed more, but suffered from fight after fight falling through.
Conditions: Has Tara fought in her hometown? If so, not much. She’s traveled to Japan, Costa Rica, and all over the USA, battling jet-lag, foreign hotels, cities, saunas or lack there of to make weight. The night before a BODOG fight, she found out her boyfriend was killed in the Iraq war. The next day she fought and won. I’m sure she’s fought with injuries, but she wins. She just WINS. That’s amazing, isn’t it?
Tara vs Kelly Kobald 2007)
Opponents: She’s fought all kinds of opponents in all kinds of weight classes. Starting out at 135 lbs, she dominated that weight class, beating many top fighters. She also fought open-weight in Japan, for example. She then dropped down to 125 lbs and continued her winning streak there.
For some reason or another, Tara LaRosa is not highlighted and celebrated as much as other fighters. She hasn’t been signed to Strikeforce or Bellator, the ones with the most TV coverage, and she has often struggled to make ends meet. If you get a full-time company job, it’s hard to continue with the training necessary to be a good pro-fighter. But Tara LaRosa chose her life-style and made sacrifices which the general public don’t really know about. Although thanks to the Ultimate Fighter, people are starting to understand more and more what MMA does to a person and their family.
I respect Tara LaRosa to the stars and beyond. It was an honor to fight her and a pleasure to be her friend. Congratulations on your ten year anniversary, Tara.
(After Moosin, 2010)