FITE.TV has partnered with Combate Americas to bring fans the much- anticipated match between two legends – Tito Ortiz and Alberto “El Patron” Rodriguez.
Airing live from the Payne Arena in McAllen, Texas on Saturday, December 7, 2019 at 8pm EST, the show will feature commentary in both English and Spanish.
More info in the FITE news page
FIRST BIG INITIATIVE WILL BE ‘REINAS DEL COMBATE’
THE FIRST ALL-WOMEN’S LINEUP IN HISTORY
TO AIR ON BROADCAST TELEVISION ON FRIDAY, APRIL 26 FROM LOS ANGELES
NEW YORK – April 04, 2019 – Kate Del Castillo, and premier Hispanic Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sports entertainment franchise, Combate Americas, announced today a landmark deal that redefines the world of combat sports. Del Castillo has acquired an equity stake in the company and is now an owner and significant shareholder of Combate Americas.
Her investment comes as part of a $20 million equity infusion from a powerhouse group of investors that also includes finance and sports industry leader Joe Plumeri, Ambassador Cliff Sobel and Irving Place Capital CEO John Howard.
Del Castillo will chair the advisory board, continue the company’s commitment to female empowerment and take on an active leadership role in growing the global MMA sports entertainment brand.
“Kate embodies the fierceness, tenacity and passion that defines the Combate Americas brand and its fighters.” says Campbell McLaren, CEO and Founder of Combate Americas. “Kate is now an equity partner and will take on a leadership role in the company and chairs our advisory board, joining our other prestigious investors including Chairman Joe Plumeri, Ambassador Cliff Sobel and John Howard,” he added.
Del Castillo said she was most drawn to Combate Americas’ embracement and development of Hispanic athletes, the tremendous opportunities it affords female fighters, its global media platform and its potential for the franchise to become the number two sport for Hispanic sports fans worldwide, after soccer.
“I am thrilled to join Campbell and the talented leadership team at Combate and will be relentless in helping Combate Americas reach its full potential as the second most popular sport.”
Del Castillo’s most immediate point of focus as an owner will be the upcoming ‘Combate de Reinas’ live television event at Galen Center in Los Angeles on Friday, April 26.
A watershed moment, the event will mark the first time in history that a combat sports event will feature an all-women’s lineup on broadcast television.
“’Combate del Reinas’ is a significant feat for women in sports,” said Del Castillo, “and is a clear testimony to the Company’s commitment to female empowerment which I am excited to champion!”
Del Castillo was represented in the deal with Combate Americas by Walter Mosley of Mosley and Associates, while Combate Americas was represented by attorneys Andrew Nightingale and Krista Whitaker of Proskauer Rose, LLP.
Prior to making her boxing debut in April 2017, Garcia had appeared in 57 episodes of El Rey Network’s Lucha Libre television series, Lucha Underground, and was crowned the first women’s champion in the show’s history on April 9, 2016.
Garcia is also a four-time champion of Mexico’s Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide professional wrestling organization, and the wife of former, three-time world boxing champion Jhonny Gonzalez.
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FRESNO – December 3, 2018 – Combate Americas today announced two changes to the lineup for its much-anticipated, biggest event of the year – the “COPA COMBATE” one-night, eight-man, $100,000 grand prize Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) featherweight (145 pounds) showdown – as well as the tournament brackets for the event that takes place at Save Mart Center on Friday, Dec. 7.
The second annual “COPA COMBATE” extravaganza airs live in its entirety in English in the U.S. and Canada on DAZN (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT), and live on television in Spanish in the U.S. on both Univision (12 a.m. ET/PT) and Univision Deportes Network (UDN) (12 a.m. ET/9 p.m. PT).
Originally slated for action in a previously announced tournament alternate bout, 26-year-old Joey “El Cazador” Ruquet (6-1), fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev., USA and representing Puerto Rico, has been entered into the main draw of the eight-man tournament where he will replace Uruguay’s Gaston “Tonga” Reyno(7-2, 2 NC), who has been forced to withdraw from the tournament due to staph infection.
In addition, Daniel “El Gallego” Requeijo (14-6) will represent Spain in place of previously announced Zebenzui “El Niño Roca” Ruiz (7-2), after Ruiz was unable to secure a visa to enter the U.S.
The 34-year-old Requeijo, who hails from Spain’s Las Palmas, Canary Islands, boasts a near-93 percent finish rate, earning 13 of his 14 career victories by way of (T)KO or submission.
Also announced today were the official tournament brackets for the “COPA COMBATE” tournament affair.
On one side of the draw, or “Group A,” Requeijo will square off with Pablo “El Gallo” Villaseca (13-4) of Santiago, Chile, while Alejandro “Gallito” Flores(13-1) of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico will battle undefeated John “Ronin” Bedoya (6-0) of Bogota, Colombia.
On the other side of the draw, or “Group B,” Ruquet will collide with Bruno “Aquiles” Cannetti (7-5) of Buenos Aires, Argentina, while Andres “The Bullet” Quintana (15-2) of Roswell, N.M., USA will face fellow prolific star Marlon “Deriko Siete” Gonzales (13-3-2, 1 NC) of Lima, Peru.
The winners of each quarterfinal stage bout in Group A will meet in semifinal stage action, while the winners of each quarterfinal stage bout in Group B will do likewise.
The two semifinal stage fight winners will face off in the championship showdown with the $100,000 grand prize at stake.
Replacing Ruquet in one the two tournament alternate bouts will be Vicente “Chento” Enriquez Marquez (5-5) of Barcelona, Spain. Enriquez Marquez will take on Ruquet’s original, tournament alternate bout opponent “Ruthless” Rudy Morales (5-6) of Las Vegas via Guatemala City, Guatemala.
Announced today as an addition to the “COPA COMBATE” event preliminary bout card was a flyweight (125 pounds) tilt between Paul Elizondo (1-0) of Fresno and Nathan Napolitano (0-0) of Salinas, Calif. USA.
Priced from $30, tickets for “COPA COMBATE” are on sale online at CombateAmericas.com/Tickets and at Ticketmaster.com, as well as at the Save Mart Center box office.
Doors at Save Mart Center will open for the event at 5 p.m. PT on December 7, and the first preliminary bout will begin at 6 p.m.
UPDATED “COPA COMBATE” UPDATED FIGHT CARD:
PRELIMINARY BOUT CARD:
Flyweight: Paul Elizondo vs. Nathan Napolitano
Welterweight: Evan Solorio vs. Jimmy Molina
Middleweight: Albert Gonzales vs. James Porter
FEATURED FLYWEIGHT BOUT:
Corina Herrera vs. Maria Paula Buzaglo
“COPA COMBATE” FEATHERWEIGHT TOURNAMENT ALTERNATE BOUTS:
Pablo Sabori vs. Michael Irizarry
Rudy Morales vs. Vicente Marquez Enriquez
“COPA COMBATE” FEATHERWEIGHT TOURNAMENT QUARTERNAL STAGE BOUTS:
Group A:
Daniel Requeijo vs. Pablo Villaseca
Joey Ruquet vs. Bruno Cannetti
Group B
Alejandro Flores vs. John Bedoya
Andres Quintana vs. Marlon Gonzales
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NEW YORK – November 27, 2018 – Combate Americas today announced a pair of “alternate” bouts for its much-anticipated, biggest event of the year – the “COPA COMBATE” one-night, eight-man Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) tournament that will award its featherweight (145 pounds) winner of three consecutive bouts a $100,000 grand prize at Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif. on Friday, Dec. 7.
The second annual “COPA COMBATE” tournament airs live in English in the U.S. and Canada on DAZN (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT), and live on television in Spanish in the U.S. on both Univision (12 a.m. ET/PT) and Univision Deportes Network (UDN) (12 a.m. ET/9 p.m. PT), and marks the first time in history that California State will sanction a one-night, eight-man MMA tournament.
In one of two tournament alternate bouts announced today, Michael Irizarry (9-2) of San Juan, Puerto Rico will take on Pablo “El Gallo Negro” Sabori (8-5) of San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, Mexico, and in the second alternate bout, Joey “El Cazador” Ruquet (6-1) of Las Vegas, Nev., USA will face off with” Ruthless” Rudy Morales (5-6) of Las Vegas via Guatemala City, Guatemala.
Should any of the winners of the four quarterfinal stage tournament bouts be unable to re-enter La Jaula, the Combate Americas competition cage, for his semifinal stage bout due to injury sustained in quarterfinal stage action, one of the two tournament alternate bout winners will replace the injured competitor in the semifinal stage of the tournament.
Also announced today was a featured women’s strawweight (115 pounds) contest between unbeaten Maria Buzaglo (1-0) of Lima, Peru and relentless battler Corina Herrera (3-4-1) of Porterville, Calif., USA.
The “COPA COMBATE” tournament field features eight previously announced fighters, representing eight different countries: Andres “The Bullet” Quintana(15-2) of Roswell, N.M., USA; Alejandro “Gallito” Flores (13-1) of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico; Gaston “Tonga” Reyno (8-2, 2 NC) of Montevideo, Uruguay; and Zebenzui “El Niño Roca” Ruiz (7-2) of Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain; Bruno “Aquiles” Cannetti (7-5) of Buenos Aires, Argentina; Latin American MMA pioneer Pablo “El Gallo” Villaseca (13-4) of Santiago, Chile; undefeated John “Ronin” Bedoya (6-0) of Bogota, Colombia; and powerhouse Marlon “Deriko Siete” Gonzales (13-3-2, 1 NC) of Lima, Peru.
The tournament brackets and quarterfinal stage tournament matchups will be announced this week.
In “COPA COMBATE” preliminary bout action announced today, local police officer Evan “Pitbull” Solorio (3-2) of Fresno will face off with Jimmy “Mamba” Molina (0-0) of Spokane, Wash., USA in a welterweight (170 pounds) contest.
In a battle of two professional debut competitors, Albert Gonzales (0-0) of Fresno will collide with James Porter (0-0) of Fresno.
Priced from $30, tickets for “COPA COMBATE” are on sale online at CombateAmericas.com/Tickets and at Ticketmaster.com, as well as at the Save Mart Center box office.
Doors at Save Mart Center will open for the event at 5 p.m. PT on December 7, and the first preliminary bout will begin at 6 p.m.
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FRESNO – November 8, 2018 – Combate Americas today unveiled at a news conference at the Mexican Consulate in Fresno, Calif., a massive winner’s cup trophy, and announced the final four featherweight (145 pounds) contestants for its much-anticipated, “COPA COMBATE,” one-night Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) tournament extravaganza featuring eight fighters, representing eight different countries, battling it out for a $100,000 grand prize, at Save Mart Center in Fresno on Friday, Dec. 7.
The previously announced, second annual “COPA COMBATE” event will air live in English in the U.S. and Canada on DAZN (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT), and live on television in Spanish in the U.S. on both Univision (12 a.m. ET/PT) and Univision Deportes Network (UDN) (12 a.m. ET/9 p.m. PT).
The winner of the tournament will have persevered through three fights in one night to claim the grand prize check and the trophy.
The “COPA COMBATE” winner’s trophy unveiled today stands over 4 and a half feet tall, and is nearly 2 feet wide at its widest point. Custom made by U.K.-based CA Models, the makers of the Viking-style headdress that music superstar Madonna wore during her 2012 NFL SuperBowl halftime performance, the gold-colored trophy, valued at $100,000, is constructed from high-tech composite plastics used in Formula 1 racing and aerospace.
Announced today as the four fighters who will complete the “COPA COMBATE” one-night, eight-man tournament field were Bruno “Aquiles” Cannetti (7-5) of Buenos Aires, Argentina; Latin American MMA pioneer Pablo “El Gallo” Villaseca (13-4) of Santiago, Chile; undefeated John “Ronin” Bedoya (6-0) of Bogota, Colombia; and powerhouse Marlon “Deriko Siete” Gonzales (13-3-2, 1 NC) of Lima, Peru.
Cannetti is the 29-year-old, younger brother of MMA superstar Guido “Ninja” Cannetti, and is riding a three-fight winning streak.
Combate Americas’ La Jaula model Alyshia Barragan with the “COPA COMBATE” winner’s trophy
Villaseca is a 31-year-old, battle-tested veteran who has competed on three different continents – North America, South America and Europe – and who has earned 10 of his 13 professional victories via (T)KO or submission.
Bedoya was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America reality television series. The 27-year-old has scored three of his six professional victories by way of submission.
The 26-year-old Gonzales is the number one ranked featherweight fighter in Peru. He is coming off a thunderous, first round (3:34) TKO (punches) of Mariano Rocca on August 18.
The four “COPA COMBATE” tournament entrants announced today join the four previously announced entrants – Andres “The Bullet” Quintana (15-2) of Roswell, N.M., USA; Alejandro “Gallito” Flores (13-1) of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico; Gaston “Tonga” Reyno (8-2, 2 NC) of Montevideo, Uruguay; and Zebenzui “El Niño Roca” Ruiz (7-2) of Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain.
The official “COPA COMBATE” tournament brackets with quarterfinal stage matchups for the one night, eight-man tournament will be announced soon.
Priced from $30, tickets for “COPA COMBATE” are on sale online at CombateAmericas.com/Tickets and at Ticketmaster.com, as well as at the Save Mart Center box office.
Doors at Save Mart Center will open for the event at 5 p.m. PT on December 7, and the first preliminary bout will begin at 6 p.m.
Combate Americas also announced today that it has partnered with Jimenez Grappling Academy, an Exeter-based non-profit organization focused on utilizing martial arts classes to create family and community-oriented programs. As part of the local partnership, MMA superstar Julianna “The Venezuelan Vixen” Peña will join fellow Combate Americas commentator and multiple-time WWE Heavyweight Champion, Alberto El Patrón, formerly known as Alberto Del Rio, to offer an MMA seminar to Jimenez’s students on Wednesday, Dec. 5, two days before the “COPA COMBATE” affair.
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NEW YORK – October 30, 2018 – Combate Americas today announced its much-anticipated, second annual “COPA COMBATE” one-night Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) tournament extravaganza featuring eight fighters, representing eight different countries, battling it out for a $100,000 grand prize, at Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif., live in English in the U.S. and Canada on DAZN (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT), live on television in Spanish in the U.S. on both Univision (12 a.m. ET/PT) and Univision Deportes Network (UDN) (12 a.m. ET/9 p.m. PT).
The winner of the tournament will have persevered through three fights in one night to claim the grand prize.
The “COPA COMBATE” event will mark the first one-night, eight-man tournament in California state history, and will take place 25 years after Combate Americas CEO and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) co-founder Campbell McLaren changed the combat sports world forever with UFC 1, a one-night, eight-man tournament that produced MMA’s first iconic figure, Royce Gracie.
Priced from $30, tickets go on sale online at www.CombateAmericas.com/Tickets and Ticketmaster.com, as well as at the Save Mart Center box office, beginning at 10 a.m. PT on Wednesday, Nov. 7.
“This is the way I started the UFC 25 years ago – an 8-man tournament – the toughest challenge in sports – and now it’s coming to Fresno and the great state of California for the first time in history,” said McLaren.
The “COPA COMBATE” tournament will take place in the featherweight (145 pounds) division, and will feature the winners of September’s two ‘Copa’ qualifier bouts – Andres “The Bullet” Quintana (15-2) of Roswell, N.M., USA and Alejandro “Gallito” Flores (13-1) of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico – as well as previously announced Gaston “Tonga” Reyno (8-2, 2 NC) of Montevideo, Uruguay.
Reyno was announced as a tournament entrant on the air live, immediately following his stunning, first-round (2:21) submission (rear-naked choke) of Carlos Ochoa at the “Combate Americas: Camino a Copa” live event in Long Beach, Calif. on September 28.
Also announced today for “COPA COMBATE” tournament action was the competitor who will represent Spain – 24-year-old Zebenzui “El Niño Roca” Ruiz (7-2) of Las Palmas, Gran Canaria.
Ruiz will enter La Jaula, the Combate Americas cage, for the first time in his career, riding a four-fight win streak. To date, all but one of his victories have come by way of (T)KO or submission.
The remaining four fighters who will compete in the 2018 “COPA COMBATE” tournament will be announced soon.
Doors at Save Mart Center will open for the event at 5 p.m. on December 7, and the first preliminary bout will begin at 6 p.m.
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NEW YORK – October 29, 2018 – Combate Americas today announced a bantamweight (135 pounds) main event matchup between superstar Erik “El Goyito” Perez (18-6) and prolific finisher Andres “Doble A” Ayala (12-6) for the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sports franchise’s return to Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, on Saturday, Nov. 17, live in English in the U.S. and Canada on DAZN (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT), and live on television in Spanish in the U.S. on both Univision (12 a.m. ET/PT) and Univision Deportes Network (UDN) (12 a.m. ET/9 p.m. PT).
The addition of the matchup between the two 28-year-old competitors completes the Combate Americas fight card, which will take place at Gimnasio Nuevo Leon Unido, with 10 bouts.
A native of Monterrey who fights out of San Diego, Calif., USA, Perez will seek his fifth straight victory after making his Combate Americas promotional debut in stunning fashion, avenging a previous defeat at the hands of old rival David “D.J.” Fuentes by scoring a third round (1:22) knockout (punches) on Fuentes in the main event of “Combate Estrellas II” at Gimnasio Nuevo Leon Unido on April 20.
Perez, who has notched 12 of his 18 career wins by way of (T)KO or submission, left the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on a three-fight win streak to sign with Combate Americas last November.
Both of Perez’s brothers – older brother Ivan and younger brother Jair – are also slated for action on the card.
Perez was slated to face off with knockout artist John “Sexi Mexi” Castaneda in a Combate Americas headlining contest on October 13, but the matchup was called off after Castaneda was forced to withdraw due to a staph infection that he sustained just a week before the commitment.
Ayala of Bogota, Colombia is one of his nation’s top ranked bantamweights. He will make his debut in La Jaula, the Combate Americas cage, on the heels of a TKO (ground and pound) victory on Guido Gongora in a main event bout in Barranquilla, Colombia on July 27.
To date, Ayala has earned an astounding 11 of 12 career wins by way of (T)KO or submission.
Priced from 300.00$ MXN, tickets for the Combate Americas event at Gimnasio Nuevo Leon Unido are on sale at www.CombateAmericas.com/Tickets.
Until Friday, Nov. 2, fans can purchase general admission level tickets at a 15 percent discount by entering the code ‘COMBATE’ at check-out when purchasing tickets online.
Doors at Gimnasio Nuevo Leon Unido open at 6 p.m. CT on November 17. The first preliminary card bout will begin at 7 p.m.
UPDATED “COMBATE AMERICAS: GOYITO VS. AYALA” FIGHT CARD:
BANTAMWEIGHT MAIN EVENT:
Erik Perez vs. Andres Ayala
ATOMWEIGHT CO-MAIN EVENT:
Irene Cabello Rivera vs. Yajaira Romo
FEATURED FEATHERWEIGHT BOUT:
Levy Marroquin vs. Jose Estrada
Preliminary Bout Card:
Lightweight: Rodrigo Vargas vs. Ricardo Arreola
Bantamweight: Eduardo Alvarado vs. Alan Cantu
Lightweight: Jose Luis Medrano vs. Won Sik Park
Lightweight: Ivan Perez vs. Daniel Rico
Featherweight: Jair Perez vs. Tino Gilaranz
Lightweight: Daniel Zellhuber vs. Salvador Izar
Flyweight: Ramiro Ruiz Castillo vs. Ivan Hernandez Flores
