Tara LaRosa spins at MMA Junkie on behalf of the AFL:

While public speculation regarding the financial stability of the Kentucky-based American Fight League has run rampant in recent weeks, at least one of their contracted fighters says the company is still alive and well.

Tara LaRosa (15-1) recently told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that despite her recent loan-out to Ironheart Crown — and subsequent removal from the card — she is still satisfied with her AFL contract.

“I’m totally comfortable with them,” LaRosa said. “I have a good relationship with the AFL and everybody in it.”

While some wondered why the AFL would place their fighters in a regional promotion such as Ironheart Crown, LaRosa said she was excited about the opportunity to compete for the organization.

“I was totally stoked,” LaRosa said. “I had no problem with [fighting for Ironheart Crown] at all. I knew that the dates on the (AFL) pay-per-view were getting pushed back. So I really needed to get busy.

LaRosa on behalf of the promotion uses the “its the economy, stupid” rationale in explaining the AFL’s decision to change their event schedule:

LaRosa said the decisions to adjust the AFL’s operational schedule were more indicative of the economy as a whole rather than the stability of the AFL.

“Honestly, it’s an economy thing,” LaRosa said. “Everybody is taking a hit right now — from MMA shows to my family’s business, to the gym that I train at. We’re seeing less and less people signing up. Everybody’s in a tough spot right now.

“And everyone wants to point fingers at the AFL, well [expletive]. EliteXC couldn’t even pay for their last show. CBS had to pick up the tab for it. So I don’t want to hear [expletive] about it. Everybody’s having a hard time right now.”

LaRosa, widely regarded as the most dominant fighter in women’s MMA, hasn’t competed in the sport since July 2007. And while her desire to compete again has reached a fever-pitch, LaRosa said she’s comfortable waiting for the AFL’s adjusted schedule.

“I’m dying to get back in there,” LaRosa said. “(But) I’m real comfortable with the AFL and what’s happening. There’s a lot of stuff behind the scenes that people don’t see that they all want to speculate about.

“There’s a couple of forums out there where people want to say my contract is [expletive], and I’m [expletive], and the AFL is [expletive] — and that’s absolutely not true. But I really couldn’t give two [expletive] about what they say. I’m getting a little bit disgusted with it all.”

We’ve taken a ‘wait and see’ attitude toward the AFL, primarily because we really like their commitment to women’s MMA. On balance, we wish every new promotion well as greater competition is better for fighters, fans and the sport as a whole. At the risk of having Tara call me an [expletive], however, its starting to ’smell funny’. Signing a bunch of fighters to contracts and then not holding PPVs or live events to bring in any revenue is a very ‘underpants gnome-esque’ business model…

Tara LaRosa still down with the AFL @ MMA Junkie