Tag Archives: Gilbert Melendez

DAZN AND COMBATE AMERICAS (MMA) SIGN LANDMARK MULTIYEAR DISTRIBUTION DEAL IN U.S. AND CANADA 

DAZN and Combate Americas have announced a landmark, multiyear rights agreement that will bring Combate Americas live MMA action to fans in English in the U.S. and Canada.  MMA superstars Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez (below right) and Julianna “The Venezuelan Vixen” Pena (below left) will call the action alongside play-by-play announcer Max Bretos.

First Fight: Marroquin vs. Alday Bantamweight World Championship Bout on Friday, Sept. 14 

Gilbert Melendez, Julianna Peña and Max Bretos to Call the Action on DAZN

NEW YORK, Sept. 13, 2018 – DAZN, the live and on-demand sports streaming platform, today announced a landmark, multiyear rights agreement with Combate Americas, the premier Hispanic Mixed PhoeMartial Arts (MMA) sports franchise. The deal will bring a minimum of 13 fight nights per year to DAZN.

Beginning with this weekend’s card headlined by Levy Marroquin vs. Jose “Pochito” Alday, DAZN will be the exclusive home of Combate Americas’ English-language broadcasts in the United States and Canada. The Marroquin vs. Alday bout will stream live from Phoenix on DAZN at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on Friday, Sept. 14.

Calling the action inside “La Jaula” – the Combate Americas cage – will be MMA superstars Gilbert “El Niño” Melendez and Julianna “The Venezuelan Vixen” Peña, alongside play-by-play announcer Max Bretos.

Combate Americas is a fast-rising MMA organization known for its action-packed fights and growing audience within the sport. This monumental deal will bring Combate Americas to English-language viewers for the first time.

“We are thrilled to be in partnership with an innovative and global entertainment leader like DAZN, and to be able to showcase the fast-paced, aggressive and in-your-face style of fighting that Combate Americas offers and that, 25 years after I launched the UFC, has re-defined MMA as ‘Mucha Mas Accion,'” said Campbell McLaren, Combate Americas CEO.

“We continue to break new ground in this sports industry, and this deal speaks directly to our pursuit of reaching new heights.”

“Chapter one of DAZN’s entrance into the U.S. market is focused on combat sports,” said Joseph Markowski, DAZN SVP, North America. “And with 80 percent of Combate Americas’ fights ending in a stoppage, we are excited to bring that type of action to fight fans.”

Following the announcement of deals across Matchroom Boxing, Bellator MMA, and the World Boxing Super Series, the Combate Americas deal puts the number of fight nights per year on DAZN at 80+.

The winner of the bantamweight (135 lbs.) matchup between Marroquin, who hails from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico and Alday of Tucson, Ariz. by way of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, will be crowned the first Mexican MMA world champion in history as well as the first world champion in Combate Americas’ history.

Fans can sign up for DAZN for only $9.99 per month by registering at DAZN.com or by downloading the DAZN app on a wide range of connected devices, including smart TVs, PCs, smartphones, tablets, and game consoles. For more information, fans can follow DAZN’s U.S. social channels: @DAZNUSA on Facebook, @DAZN_USA for Twitter, and DAZN_USA for Instagram.

*Cards subject to change.

ABOUT DAZN
DAZN is a global live and on-demand sports streaming service created by fans, for fans, that is leading the charge to provide access to sports anytime, anywhere. DAZN guarantees no long-term contract, no bundles, just one affordable price for access to all of the service’s sports on connected devices including Smart TVs, smartphones, tablets and games consoles. DAZN is currently available in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Japan, Canada, and Italy, and just launched for $9.99 a month in the U.S. – where it is set to become a must-have for fight fans, with 80+ fight nights already lined up from Matchroom Boxing, Bellator MMA, the World Boxing Super Series, and Combate Americas.

WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING CONTINUES FIGHTER SIGNING SPREE WITH ACQUISITION OF LIGHTWEIGHT STAR RAMSEY NIJEM

LAS VEGAS (August 29, 2016) – World Series of Fighting (www.WSOF.com) announced today that it has bolstered its roster of world-class athletes yet again with the signing of lightweight (155 pounds) star and former The Ultimate Fighter competition reality television series runner-up Ramsey Nijem (9-6), to an exclusive, multi-fight promotional agreement with the world championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) league.
 

Fighting out of Orem, Utah, the 5-foot-11, 28-year-old Nijem, a member of superstar Gilbert Melendez’s Skrap Pack fight team, will make his debut under the World Series of Fighting banner on a date to be announced soon.

 

“We have been aggressively pursuing some of the best available fight talent on the market and as a phenomenal and established competitor, Ramsey Nijem should make an exciting addition to our stacked, 155-pound division,” said World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo.
 

Nijem defeated three straight adversaries – two by way of submission and one via TKO – to finish as runner-up on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos in 2011, while competing at welterweight (170 pounds) as a member of UFC superstar Junior Dos Santos’ seven-man fight team that opposed a squad captained by WWE icon and former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.
 

Nijem began his successful run on the reality television show with a second round (3:31) submission (rear-naked choke) of Charlie Rader, and followed up the victory with a quick, 56-second submission (rear-naked choke) of Clay Harvison and a second round (1:49) TKO (punches) of Chris Cope, respectively, to reach the show’s final round of competition where he was stopped with an onslaught of punches by Tony Ferguson in the first round (3:54) of battle.
 

During his 10-fight stint with the UFC, Nijem earned both a “Performance of the Night” honor for his first round (4:20) TKO (punches) conquest of Beneil Dariush on April 11, 2014, as well a “Fight of the Night” award for his gritty effort in a second round (1:53) TKO (punches) defeat at the hands of Carlos Diego Ferreira on August 30, 2014.
 

A lifelong athlete, Nijem was a three-sport (wrestling, cross country and soccer) competitor in high school before going on to wrestle for NCAA Division I Utah Valley University.
 

Live World Series of Fighting action returns to NBCSN on Saturday, Oct. 7, with an unprecedented, three-hour telecast and world championship doubleheader, beginning at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m., from Kansas City Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.
 

In the main event of WSOF33: Gaethje vs. Dugulubgov, reigning, undefeated world lightweight champion Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje (16-0) of Safford, Ariz. will risk his title against number one contender Ozzy Dugulubgov (8-2) of Ridgewood, N.J.
 

In the light heavyweight (205 pounds) co-main event, reigning world champion David Branch (16-3) of New York, N.Y. will defend his title against fellow Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and battle-tested veteran Vinny Magalhaes (14-7) of Las Vegas, Nev. via Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.