LIVE ON AZTECA AMERICA

NEW YORK – April 3, 2017 – Combate Americas announced today that it will bring its live Azteca America (10 p.m. KANYE) television event series to Tucson, Ariz. for the first-time ever on Thursday, April 20 with a stacked, 11-bout card at Casino Del Sol, headlined by a bantamweight (135 amakhilogremu) showdown between accomplished veteran Roman “El Gallito” Salazar (10-5-1) futhi Knockout umculi Ricky "The Gallero" Palacios (7-1).

Umcimbi, “Combate13,” will also be distributed live on ESPN Latin America and by UFC Fight Pass® as a video on demand. It will air on TV Azteca in Mexico, the following night, Friday, April 21, at 11 p.m. CT.

In the umcimbi co-main, prolific finishers and Tucson rivals Kobe “The Stunna” Ortiz (15-5) futhi Eddie “Crazy Face” Arizmendi (17-7) will collide in a middleweight (185 amakhilogremu) umncintiswano.

Ontengo yakhe yayinqunyiwe kusuka $20, tickets for “Combate13” are on sale at the Casino Del Sol box office (1-855-765-7829).

“We are excited to be bringing our live television series to a new market that has a reputation for being a great fight town filled with passionate fans and decorated combat sports athletes,” said Combate Americas President Alberto Rodriguez.

Also slated for action, Benny "INdodana" Madrid (9-3) kuzothatha on Chad Dietmeyer (8-1) in a welterweight (170 amakhilogremu) empini, nochwepheshe ukuzithoba Randy Steinke (17-10-1) will face off with aggressive-minded, Blackzilians camp member Irwin “The Beast” Rivera (5-2) in another bantamweight contest.

Additional matchups will be announced soon.

Roman Salazar vs. Ricky Palacios

The 5-foot-7, 29-year-old Salazar of Scottsdale, Ariz. is a three-time Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC) veteran who will make his first start of 2017, and his first-ever in La Jaula.

In his last effort at WFF 32 on November 19, 2016, Salazar defeated Gilberto Aguilar by way of unanimous decision.

Futhi 29 iminyaka yobudala, the 5-foot-6 Palacios of Mission, Texas will put on the line a four-fight win streak that includes back-to-back finishes – a second round (3:14), one-punch knockout of Carlos Ricardo Diaz on June 12, 2015, and a stunning, emzuliswaneni wokuqala (1:00) head kick knockout of Benji Gomez at “Combate2” on Sept. 17, 2015 – as well as a “Fight of the Month” nominated, unanimous decision conquest of Brandon Royval at “Combate7” on May 9, 2016.

Also unbeaten (2-0-1) njengoba boxer professional, Palacios has earned 5 of yakhe 7 professional MMA career wins by way of (T)KO.

Kobe Ortiz vs. Eddie Arizmendi

I 6-foot, 35-year-old Ortiz is riding a two-fight win streak after producing back-to-back stoppages in his last two appearances – a third round (4:45) WHO (punches) of Dano Moore ngo-Okthoba 3, 2015, and a third round (:24) WHO (punches) of Brendan Tierney ngoMashi 20, 2016.

Ortiz has notched 12 of yakhe 15 career iwina ngendlela (T)KO noma ukuzithoba.

Arizmendi is an 11-year veteran of the sport, and winner of his last two matchups. On October 3, 2015, he forced Brendan Tierney to retire after the second round (5:00) of action and, ngoMashi 5, 2016, he took a unanimous decision from Igama lomsebenzisi Salantri.

Benny Madrid vs. Chad Dietmeyer

Fighting out of Phoenix, Ariz., the 5-foot-10, 36-year-old Madrid has earned 8 of yakhe 9 professional career victories by way of (T)KO noma ukuzithoba.

Madrid will step into La Jaula after back-to-back, first round wins – a submission (okukhulisa-naked binda) of Jeff Fletcher that came at the 1:26 mark of the opening round on September 18, 2015, and a knockout of Roberto Leon that occurred at the 1:10 mark of the first stanza of their matchup.

Dietmeyer is coming off a four-year layoff from competition. In his last start on March 30, 2012, he faced his toughest test to date in UFC and DREAM veteran U-Antonio McKEE, taking McKee the distance of their fight before finding himself on the losing end of a unanimous decision.

Randy Steinke vs. Irwin Rivera

-5 foot-9, 31-year-old Steinke of Payson, Ariz. will enter La Jaula for the first time after scoring back-to-back, first round submissions over just a two-week span, on Ray Robinson futhi Guillermo Pena ngo-Okthoba 1, 2016 futhi October 15, 2016, ngokulandelana.

Rivera is a 5-foot-6, 28-year-old native of Windsor, New York who relocated to South Florida to join the famed Blackzilians camp. Kuze kube manje, three of his five career wins have come by way of (T)KO noma ukuzithoba.