Tag Archives: Irwin Rivera

Amateur MMA, Combate Americas, mixed martial arts, MMA

COMBATE AMERICAS COMPLETES STACKED, 10-BOUT FIGHT CARD FOR TUCSON, ARIZONA

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LIVE ON AZTECA AMERICA AND ESPN LATIN AMERICA
ON THURSDAY, APRIL 20

Undefeated welterweights Daniel Rodriguez and Joel Champion face off

Unbeaten Alesha Zappitella faces Stephanie Alba
 in women’s atomweight matchup

Tickets for “Combate 13” on sale now
NEW YORK – April 6, 2017 – Combate Americas announced today the completion of a stacked, 10-fight lineup for its “Combate 13” Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event at Casino Del Sol in Tucson, Ariz. on Thursday, April 20, live on Azteca America and ESPN Latin America (10 p.m. ET).

Among the matchups added to finalize the card are a welterweight (170 pounds) showdown between a pair of undefeated, rising stars in Daniel Rodriguez (3-0) and Joel Champion (4-0), neither of whom have been taken the distance of a fight yet, as well as a women’s atomweight (105 pounds) contest between unbeaten sensation Alesha “Half Pint” Zappitella (2-0) and hard-nosed battler Stephanie “The Cyclone” Alba (3-1).

In the bantamweight (135 pounds) main event of “Combate 13,” accomplished veteran Roman “El Gallito” Salazar (10-5-1) of Scottsdale, Ariz. will collide with knockout artist Ricky “El Gallero” Palacios (7-1) of Mission, Texas.

“We have a fantastic lineup of fights assembled, and we are excited about bringing the Combate Americas live television series to Arizona for the first time ever,” said Combate Americas CEO Campbell McLaren.

Priced from $20, tickets for “Combate 13” are on sale at the Casino Del Sol box office (1-855-765-7829).

The 6-foot-1, 29-year-old Rodriguez, who recently signed an exclusive, multi-fight contract with Combate Americas, has notched all three of his professional wins to date inside of two rounds.  In his last effort on January 21, the Alhambra, Calif. resident scored a second round (3:55) TKO (punches) on Christian Gonzalez.

Also 6-foot-1 and 29 years of age, Champion of Tucson has not been pushed past the second round of a fight yet.  In his last start on October 1, 2016, he scored a first round (4:13) knockout on Chris Collins.

Zappitella is a 4-foot-11, 22-year-old resident of Brighton, Michigan and decorated amateur wrestler, who is coming off an extraordinary victory in Sanya, China on February 25 where she submitted Miao Ding with an arm-triangle choke in the second round of a matchup contested at flyweight (125 pounds), two weight classes above Zappitella’s natural fighting weight.

The 4-foot-11, 34-year-old Alba of Houston, Texas will look to return to the win column after suffering a split decision defeat at the hands of old rival Paulina “Firefox” Granados at “Combate 5” last May 9.  Prior to the loss, Alba had gone unbeaten in her campaign as a professional.

In other action, Victor “Kelevra” Reyna (8-3) will meet Andy “Golden Boy” Perez (7-3) at welterweight.

The 5-foot-11, 30-year-old Reyna of Dallas, Texas has earned six of his eight professional career wins by way of (T)KO or submission, while Perez of Tucson, a 5-foot-9, 28-year-old, is looking to record his second straight victory after notching a first round (2:16) submission (rear-naked choke) win over Anthony Wray on October 1, 2016.

Originally slated to face Irwin “The Beast” Rivera (5-2) of Palm Beach, Fla., Randy Steinke (17-10) of Payson, Ariz. will now square off with Urijah Faber-protégé Erick Sanchez (7-3) of Sacramento, Calif., while Rivera will do battle with unbeaten Kevin “Quicksand” Natividad (2-0) of Phoenix, Ariz.

The 5-foot-10, 26-year-old Sanchez is looking to bounce back quickly from a unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Andres “The Bullet” Quintana at Combate 11 on February 16.  Prior to the loss, the Team Alpha Male member held an unblemished, 2-0 record in La Jaula, the Combate Americas cage.

Originally from Hawaii, the 24-year-old Natividad owns two, first-round victories – a submission (rear-naked choke) of Josue Rodriguez at the 3:04 mark of the first frame in what was Natividad’s pro debut on November 19, 2016, and a TKO (punches) of Jesse Ortiz that came at the 2:52 mark of the opening round of action on January 28.

Natividad turned professional after amassing a perfect amateur record of 6-0.  Five of his amateur victories came by way of TKO or submission.

The “Combate 13” preliminary bout card will also feature two flyweight matchups – the first between Arturo Guzman (0-1) of Tucson and Robert Caspar (0-0) of Copperas Grove, Texas, and the second between Justin Rascon (2-1) of Tucson and Jose Palencia, Jr. (1-1) of Tempe, Ariz.

To location what station Azteca America airs on in your market, you can log onto the network’s channel finder.

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

Complete “Combate Americas: Combate 13” Fight Card

Bantamweight Main Event:
Roman Salazar vs. Ricky Palacios

Middleweight Co-Main Event:
Kobe Ortiz vs. Eddie Arizmendi

Bantamweight:  Irwin Rivera vs. Kevin Natividad
Welterweight: Benny Madrid vs. Chad Dietmeyer
Welterweight: Daniel Rodriguez vs. Joel Champion
Atomweight:  Alesha Zappitella vs. Stephanie Alba
Featherweight:  Erick Sanchez vs. Randy Steinke
Welterweight: Victor Reyna vs. Andy Perez
Flyweight:  Justin Rascon vs. Jose, Palencia, Jr.
Flyweight: Arturo Guzman vs. Robert Caspar
# # #
Amateur MMA, Combate Americas, mixed martial arts, MMA

COMBATE AMERICAS HITS CASINO DEL SOL IN TUCSON, ARIZONA ON THURSDAY, APRIL 20

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LIVE ON AZTECA AMERICA

BANTAMWEIGHT MAIN EVENT:
ROMAN “EL GALLITO” SALAZAR VS. RICKY “EL GALLERO” PALACIOS
Middleweight Co-Main Event:
Kobe “The Stunna” Ortiz vs. Eddie “Crazy Face” Arizmendi
Plus:
Welterweight: Benny Madrid vs. Chad Dietmeyer
Bantamweight: Randy Steinke vs. Irwin Rivera

Tickets for “Combate13” on sale now

NEW YORK – April 3, 2017 – Combate Americas announced today that it will bring its live Azteca America (10 p.m. ET) 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 pounds) showdown between accomplished veteran Roman “El Gallito” Salazar (10-5-1) and knockout artist Ricky “El Gallero” Palacios (7-1).

The event, “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 co-main event, prolific finishers and Tucson rivals Kobe “The Stunna” Ortiz (15-5) and Eddie “Crazy Face” Arizmendi (17-7) will collide in a middleweight (185 pounds) contest.

Priced from $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 “El Hijo” Madrid (9-3) will take on Chad Dietmeyer (8-1) in a welterweight (170 pounds) battle, and submission expert 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.

Also 29 years of age, 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, first round (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) as a professional boxer, Palacios has earned 5 of his 7 professional MMA career wins by way of (T)KO.

Kobe Ortiz vs. Eddie Arizmendi

The 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) TKO (punches) of Dano Moore on October 3, 2015, and a third round (:24) TKO (punches) of Brendan Tierney on March 20, 2016.

Ortiz has notched 12 of his 15 career wins by way of (T)KO or submission.

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, on March 5, 2016, he took a unanimous decision from Nick Salantri.

Benny Madrid vs. Chad Dietmeyer

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

Madrid will step into La Jaula after back-to-back, first round wins – a submission (rear-naked choke) 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 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

The 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 and Guillermo Pena on October 1, 2016 and October 15, 2016, respectively.

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.  To date, three of his five career wins have come by way of (T)KO or submission.
Combate Americas, mixed martial arts, MMA

Combate Americas: Three New Bouts Announced For New York on October 14

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Below: Paulina “Firefox” Granados (pictured) will face off with Jenna Serio in a featured atomweight (105 pounds) contest at Combate Americas: Empire Rising, the U.S. Hispanic league’s debut event in New York, on Friday, Oct. 14, live on beIN Sports en Español as well as UFC FIGHT PASS®.

COMBATE AMERICAS
ANNOUNCES THREE MORE BOUTS
FOR FIRST-EVER WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT IN NY,
LIVE ON BEIN SPORTS EN ESPAÑOL
AND UFC FIGHT PASS® ON FRIDAY, OCT. 14

Featherweight co-main event: Erick Sanchez vs. Victor Martinez
Bantamweight: Irwin Rivera vs. Cristobal Chavez
Women’s atomweight: Paulina Granados vs. Jenna Serio

Tickets on sale now

NEW YORK – Sept. 14, 2016 – Combate Americas today announced the addition of three bouts, including a featherweight (145 pounds) co-main event contest between streaking Urijah Faber protégé Erick Sanchez (7-2) and hard-hitting knockout artist Victor Martinez (6-4) to the league’s first world championship fight card in history at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, N.Y. on Friday, Oct. 14, live on beIN SPORTS En Español and UFC FIGHT PASS®.

The matchup between Sanchez and Martinez will precede the much-anticipated bantamweight (135 pounds) championship showdown between red-hot stars John “Sexy Mexy” Castaneda (11-2) of Mankato, Minn. and Gustavo Lopez (6-1) of Las Vegas, Nev. via Yakima, Wash.

In another bantamweight contest, Blackzilians team member and rising starIrwin “The Beast” Rivera (5-1) will collide with undefeated submission expert Cristobal “El Mosquito” Chavez (4-0).

In women’s atomweight (105 pounds) action, Paulina “Firefox” Granados(3-2) will take on Jenna Serio (3-1).

Erick Sanchez vs. Victor Martinez

The 5-foot-10, 25-year-old Sanchez of Sacramento, Calif. will look for his third straight victory in La Jaula, and his fourth consecutive win overall, after submitting (rear-naked choke) Mike Segura in just 50 seconds at the third event in the Combate Americas “Road To The Championship” series in Los Angeles, Calif. on April 18.

Prior to the victory, Sanchez, who has won five of his seven professional starts by way of (T)KO or submission, scored a third round (1:22) TKO (punches) on Ousmane Thomas Diagne at Bellator 147 on December 4, 2015.

Also 25 years of age, the 25-year-old Martinez of Pharr, Texas has notched five of his six professional wins by way of (T)KO, with all five of the conquests having come with his hands.

Martinez is looking to rebound from a close, split decision defeat at the hands of Erick Gonzalez at the fourth Combate Americas “Road To The Championship” event on April 25.


Above: Irwin “The Beast” Rivera (pictured) will make his Combate Americas debut against undefeated Cristobal Chavez in a featured bantamweight (135 pounds) bout.

Irwin Rivera vs. Cristobal Chavez

Fighting out of Boca Raton, Fla., the home of the Blackzilians fight squad, the 5-foot-6, 27-year-old Rivera, who will make his debut under the promotion of Combate Americas, was raised in New Windsor, N.Y. after being born in Nezahualcoyotl, Mexico.  He jump started his professional career with a split decision victory over Andre Cuff on November 7, 2014, and ran to three consecutive wins thereafter.

In his last outing on March 25, Rivera submitted Jose Ceja in third round (4:45) of battle with a rear-naked choke.

The 5-foot-7, 26-year-old Chavez of El Paso, Texas has yet to be beaten in a combined eight professional and amateur bouts.  Three of his four professional wins have come via (T)KO or submission.

Chavez is coming off a second round (4:14) submission (armlock) of Ronny Perrogon on June 11.

Paulina Granados vs. Jenna Serio

A native of Corpus Christi, Texas where she excelled in power lifting as a high school student, the 5-foot-2, 28-year-old Granados fights out of the famed Alliance MMA team in San Diego, Calif.

Granados made her Combate Americas debut in her last start on May 9, earning a split decision over longtime rival Stephanie Alba, whom Granados had defeated twice previously during their amateur days.

Serio of Brooklyn, N.Y. is a 5-foot-2, 24-year-old upstart who will enter the Combate Americas cage for the first time, riding a two-fight win streak.

In her last effort, Serio handily submitted Sadee Monserrate with a rear-naked choke in the first round (2:50) of their matchup on June 3.

A nationally recognized venue for legendary, fight-of-the-year-level boxing events, Turning Stone Resort Casino will now become one of the very first venues in New York to host professional MMA fights.  With a legacy of hosting some of the best events in the country, rivaling many venues in major cities such as Las Vegas, Atlantic City and New York City, Turning Stone has established Upstate New York as a premier destination for live sporting events.  Turning Stone is an award-winning destination resort, offering world-class amenities including four hotels, more than 20 restaurants and dining options, two luxurious spas, a 125,000 square foot Las Vegas style gaming floor, a cabaret-style Showroom, a 5,000 seat arena, five pristine golf courses, several bars, cocktail lounges and nightlife venues.

Tickets for “Combate Americas: Empire Rising” are on sale and can be purchased at the Turning Stone Box Office, by calling 877.833.SHOW, or online at Ticketmaster.com.  Tickets are priced at $75, for cageside, $65, $50 and $35, and may be subject to additional fees.  Doors will open at 5:30 p.m.for the event, and the first preliminary bout will begin at 6 p.m.

Additional bouts will be announced soon.

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