Tag Archives: Melissa Martinez

Combate Americas, mixed martial arts, MMA, women's MMA

COMBATE AMERICAS ANNOUNCES WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT CO-MAIN EVENT BETWEEN  “SUPER MELY” MARTINEZ AND FRANCIS HERNANDEZ LIVE ON UNIVISION DEPORTES NETWORK FROM LONG BEACH, CALIF. ON FRIDAY, SEPT. 28

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Below: Undefeated, 21-year-old knockout artist Melissa “Super Mely” Martinez (left) of Mexico City, Mexico will take on hard-hitting Francis “Hit Girl” Hernandez (right) of Camuy, Puerto Rico in the live, Univision Deportes Network (UDN)-televised, Combate Americas co-main event in Long Beach, Calif. on Friday, Sept. 28.  Photo credit: Scott Hirano/Combate Americas

FIVE OTHER NEW BOUTS ANNOUNCED FOR STACKED EVENT HEADLINED BY FIRST-EVER, ONE-ROUND
“COPA COMBATE” TOURNAMENT QUALIFYING BOUTS

Tickets for “Combate Americas: Camino a Copa Combate” on sale now

NEW YORK – September 6, 2018 – Combate Americas today announced a women’s strawweight (115 pounds) co-main event bout between undefeated knockout artist Melissa “Super Mely” Martinez (4-0) and Francis “Hit Girl” Hernandez (3-2) for the premier Hispanic Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sports franchise’s live, Univision Deportes Network (UDN) telecast (12 a.m. ET/9 pm. PT) from The Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif. on Friday, Sept. 28.

 

The event, “Combate Americas: Camino a Copa Combate,” will be headlined by the previously announced, first two-ever “COPA COMBATE” qualifying fights, the winners of which will represent their respective countries – the U.S. and Mexico – in the one-night, eight-man, $100,000 grand prize tournament that will take place in the featherweight (145 pounds) division on a November date to be announced soon.

 

An explosive Muay Thai stylist, the 21-year-old Martinez of Mexico City, Mexico has been on a warpath since she made her Combate Americas promotional debut on June 30, 2017, scoring a thunderous, second round (2:45) head kick TKO on Yajaira Romo.

 

In her last effort on April 20, Martinez dominated Argentina’s Ivanna Martinenghi for three consecutive rounds of action at “Combate Estrellas II” in Monterrey, Mexico before earning  a unanimous decision victory.

 

Fighting out of Little Rock, Ark. where she is serving as an active duty Staff Sergeant with the U.S. Army, the 30-year-old Hernandez, who hails from Camuy, Puerto Rico is coming off an impressive Combate Americas debut performance that saw her submit (rear-naked choke) Shyann Farmer in the second round (2:12) of battle in Sacramento, Calif.

 

Also announced today were five preliminary bout card matchups for the “Combate Americas: Camino a Copa Combate” event, including a bantamweight (135 pounds) battle between Oscar “Jacare” Suarez (4-1) of Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain and Carlos Ochoa (3-5) of Indio, Calif.

 

Elsewhere on the preliminary bout card, Dominic Clarke (11-8) of Los Angeles, Calif. will collide with Danny “The Realist” Ramirez (6-4) of Sacramento, Calif. at lightweight (155 pounds).

 

Undefeated Jesse Strader (3-0) of Lancaster, Calif. USA will take on “Handsome” Mario Navarrio (4-5) of Northridge, Calif., USA. In featherweight action.

 

In one of two flyweight (125 pounds) contests announced today, Heinrich Wassmer (6-3) of Highland Park, Calif. will battle David “Farmer of Destruction” Duran (6-4) of Whittier, Calif., while in the other, unbeaten Hugo Aranda (2-0) of Van Nuys, Calif. will square off with “Malicious” Michael Reyes(4-4) of Oxnard, Calif.

 

Additional preliminary bout matchups will be announced soon.

 

In one of the two, single, five-minute round featherweight “COPA COMBATE” tournament qualifying fights that will send the winner to represent the U.S. in the eight-man tournament in November, Erick “The Ghost Pepper” Gonzalez (8-2) of Redondo Beach, Calif. will face Andres “The Bullet” Quintana (14-2) of Roswell, N.M.

 

In the second tournament qualifying fight, the winner of which will represent Mexico at  “COPA COMBATE,” Pablo “El Gallo Negro” Sabori (8-4) of San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora will collide with Alejandro “El Gallito” Flores (12-1)  of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon.

 

Priced from $30, tickets for “Combate Americas: Camino A Copa Combate” are on sale at The Walter Pyramid’s online ticketing platform, as well at Ticketon.com.

 

Doors at the venue will open at 6 p.m. PT on September 28, and the first preliminary bout will begin at 7 p.m.

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ABOUT COMBATE AMERICAS
Combate Americas is the premier Hispanic Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sports franchise, rapidly becoming the number two sport, after soccer, for Spanish speaking sports fans worldwide.  The Combate Americas franchise includes reality TV programming, live events and mobile programming. The company’s CEO, Campbell McLaren, is universally recognized as the co-founder/co-creator of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). New York Magazine described McLaren as “the marketing genius behind the UFC” and Yahoo! Sports proclaimed that he “knows more about the sport than just about anyone in it today.” With an unprecedented product and a blue-chip ownership and management team, Combate Americas is poised to break new ground and bring about a new era in world championship level MMA competition.

Combate Americas, mixed martial arts, MMA

COMBATE AMERICAS ANNOUNCES LIVE UNIVISION DEPORTES NETWORK TELECAST, COMPLETE BOUT CARD FOR “COMBATE ESTRELLAS II” IN MONTERREY, MEXICO ON FRIDAY, APRIL 20

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VICTOR MADRIGAL REPLACES LEVY MARROQUIN IN BANTAMWEIGHT
CO-MAIN EVENT SHOWDOWN WITH ALEJANDRO FLORES

 

IVANNA MARTINENGHI REPLACES FRANCIS HERNANDEZ AGAINST UNDEFEATED MELISSA MARTINEZ IN STRAWWEIGHT FEATURED CONTEST

 

STAR-STUDDED EVENT HEADLINED BY
MUCH-ANTICIPATED BANTAMWEIGHT REMATCH BETWEEN
ERIK “GOYITO” PEREZ AND DAVID “D.J.” FUENTES
 

 

NEW YORK – April 18, 2018 – Combate Americas today announced a live Univision Deportes Network (UDN) telecast, as well as the complete 10-bout fight card for the “Combate Estrellas II” Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) extravaganza at Gimnasio Nuevo Leon in Monterrey, Mexico on Friday, April 20.

 

The live, 90-minute UDN telecast of “Combate Estrellas II,” which will be headlined by a previously announced, highly-anticipated bantamweight (135 pounds) rematch between world-ranked superstar and Monterrey native Erik “Goyito” Perez (17-6), and hard-hitting finisher David “D.J.” Fuentes (13-10) of the U.S., begins at 12 a.m. ET/9 p.m. PT, and will follow the live stream of Combate Americas’ preliminary bout card, beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, on UnivisionDeportes.com.

 

Fuentes, who fights out of McAllen, Texas, defeated Perez by way of third round (3:01) submission (armlock) when the two met on May 28, 2010.

 

In a new bantamweight (135 pounds) co-main event, Victor “Periquito” Madrigal (6-1) of Guadalajara, Mexico, will replace “COPA COMBATE” tournament winner Levy Saul Marroquin of Monterrey, Mexico, who has withdrawn due to illness, against fellow fast-rising star Alejandro “Gallito” Flores (11-1) of Monterrey.

 

Leading off the three-bout, live televised main card, undefeated strawweight (115 pounds) knockout artist Melissa “Super Mely” Martinez (3-0) of Mexico City, Mexico, will collide with fellow, hard-hitting Muay Thai stylist Ivanna Martinenghi (4-1) of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

 

Martinez was originally slated to face Francis Hernandez of Puerto Rico.

 

In other action announced for Combate Estrellas II,” prolific finisher Marcelo “Pitbull” Rojo (13-5) of Cordoba, Argentina, will square off with Fabian Galvan (8-3) of Monterrey in a bantamweight contest.

 

Enrique “Locote” Gonzalez (6-1) of Monterrey will collide with Oscar Suarez (4-1) of Santa Cruz Tenerife, Spain, in a bantamweight tilt.
 

Jose Luis “El Pistolero” Medrano (5-2) of Monterrey will battle Daniel “Golden Boy” Zellhuber (5-0) of Mexico City.

 

Also in the card, Mexican Muay Thai fighter Lezly Hinojosa Compean (0-0) will make her debut under the MMA rules against Spanish superstar Irene Cabello Rivera (7-5) of Barcelona, Spain in an atomweight (105 pounds) bout.

 

Tickets for “CombateEstrellas II” are on sale at SuperBoletos.com.

 

Doors at Gimnasio Nuevo Leon will open at 6 p.m. local time on April 20.  The first preliminary bout will begin at 7 p.m.

 

“COMBATE ESTRELLAS II” FIGHT CARD

MAIN CARD

Bantamweight (135 lbs) Main event:
Erik Pérez (17-6) vs. David Fuentes (13-10)

Bantamweight (135 lbs) co-main event:
Victor Madrigal (6-1) vs. Alejandro Flores (11-1)

Women’s Strawweight (115 lbs):
Melissa Martínez (3-0) vs. Ivanna Martinenghi (4-1)

UNDERCARD

Bantamweight (135 lbs): Marcelo Rojo (13-5) vs. Fabian Galvan (8-3)
Atomweight (105 lbs): Irene Cabello (7-5) vs. Lezly Hinojosa Compean (0-0)
Bantamweight (135 lbs): Enrique Gonzalez (12-10) vs. Oscar Suarez (4-1)
Bantamweight (135 lbs): Juan Pablo Gonzalez (7-0-2) vs. Kevin Garcia (5-2)
Lightweight (155 lbs): Ivan Perez (4-4) vs. Ricardo Arreola (5-5)
Bantamweight (135 lbs): David Martinez (2-0) vs. Enrique Barragan (5-2)
Lightweight (135 lbs): Jose Luis Medrano (8-2) vs. Daniel Zellhuber (5-0)

 

Combate Americas, mixed martial arts, MMA

COMBATE AMERICAS ANNOUNCES  SEVEN NEW BOUTS FOR “COMBATE ESTRELLAS II” IN MONTERREY, MEXICO ON FRIDAY, APRIL 20

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STAR-STUDDED EVENT HEADLINED BY 
MUCH-ANTICIPATED BANTAMWEIGHT REMATCH BETWEEN 
ERIK “GOYITO” PEREZ AND DAVID “D.J.” FUENTES
TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY AT SUPERBOLETOS.COM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NEW YORK – March 22, 2018 – Combate Americas today announced seven new matchups, including a featherweight (145 pounds) showdown between knockout artists Horacio “The Punisher” Gutierrez (4-3) of Mexico and Andres “The Bullet” Quintana (12-2) of the U.S. for the “Combate Estrellas II” Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) extravaganza at Gimnasio Nuevo Leon in Monterrey, Mexico on Friday, April 20.
 

 

 

 

 

Priced from 300 pesos, tickets for “Combate Estrellas II,” the second installment of the two-part, live television event series featuring a collection of the world’s premier Hispanic Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sports franchise’s top estrellas, or “stars,” go on sale tomorrow, Friday, March 23 online at SuperBoletos.com.
 

 

 

 

 

“Combate Estrellas II” will be headlined by the previously announced bantamweight (135 pounds) rematch between world-ranked superstar and Monterrey native Erik “Goyito” Perez (17-6) and hard-hitting finisher David “D.J.” Fuentes (13-10) of the U.S.
 

 

 

 

 

Fuentes, who fights out of McAllen, Texas, defeated Perez by way of third round (3:01) submission (armlock) when the two met on May 28, 2010.
 

 

 

 

 

 

In other action announced today for Combate Estrellas II,” Marcelo “Pitbull” Rojo (13-5) of Argentina will square off with Fabian Galvan (8-3) of Mexico in a bantamweight contest.
 

 

 

 

 

Felipe “Pipe” Vargas (6-0) of Colombia will face Victor “Mad Dog” Madrigal(6-1) of Mexico in a bantamweight rematch to their initial meeting at “COPA COMBATE” in Cancun, Mexico on November 11, 2017 when Vargas edged out a split decision over Madrigal.
 

 

 

 

 

 

Enrique “Locote” Gonzalez (6-1) of Mexico will collide with Oscar Suarez (4-1) of Spain in a bantamweight tilt.
 

 

 

 

 

David Martinez (2-0) will risk his perfect record against fellow Mexican competitor and prolific striker Enrique Barragan (6-1) at bantamweight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In one of two lightweight (155 pounds) matchups, Ivan Perez (5-4) will do battle with fellow Mexican Ricardo “El Loco” Arreola (5-5) and, in the second, Jose Luis “El Pistolero” Medrano (5-2) of Mexico will go to war with Gleidson “Poney” Cutis (6-3) of Brazil.
 

 

 

 

 

Doors at Gimnasio Nuevo Leon will open at 7 p.m. local time on April 20.  The first preliminary bout will begin at 8 p.m.
 

 

 

 

 

 

In the previously announced bantamweight co-main event, Levy Saul “El Negro” Marroquin (11-2) of Monterrey will return to action on the heels of his historic and memorable victory of the inaugural “COPA COMBATE” one-night, eight-man, $100,000 grand prize tournament last November 11, to square off with rival, fast-rising star Alejandro “Gallito” Flores (11-1), also of Monterrey.
 

 

 

 

 

Marroquin became an overnight Cinderella story in Cancun when he defeated three consecutive opponents – Carlos “Lobo” Rivera (10-3) of Mexico, Marcelo “Pitbull” Rojo (13-5) of Argentina and John “Sexi Mexi” Castaneda(16-3) of the U.S. – to become the 2017 “COPA COMBATE” tournament champion.
 

 

 

 

 

Leading off the three-bout live televised main card, the programming information for which will be announced soon, will be a women’s strawweight (115 pounds) matchup between undefeated Melissa “Super Mely” Martinez (3-0) of Mexico City, Mexico, and Francis Hernandez (2-2) of Camuy, Puerto Rico.

 

 

 

 

UPDATED “COMBATE AMERICAS: COMBATE ESTRELLAS II” FIGHT CARD

 

 

 

MAIN CARD:
Bantamweight Main Event:
Erik Perez (17-6) vs. David Fuentes (13-10)

 

 

 

 

Bantamweight Co-Main Event:
Levy Saul Marroquin (11-2) vs. Alejandro Flores (11-1)

 

 

 

 

Strawweight: Melissa Martinez (3-0) vs. Francis Hernandez (2-2)

 

 

 

UNDERCARD:

 

 

 

Featherweight:  Horacio Gutierrez (4-3) vs. Andres Quintana (12-2)

 

 

 

 

Bantamweight: Marcelo Rojo (13-5) vs. Fabian Galvan (8-3)

 

 

 

 

Bantamweight: Felipe Vargas (6-0) vs. Victor Madrigal (6-1)

 

 

 

 

Bantamweight: Enrique Gonzalez (6-1) vs. Oscar Suarez (4-1)

 

 

 

 

Bantamweight: David Martinez (2-0) vs. Enrique Barragan (6-1)

 

 

 

 

 

Lightweight:  Ivan Perez (5-4) vs. Ricardo Arreola (5-5)

 

 

 

 

Lightweight:  Jose Luis Medrano (5-2) vs. Gleidson Cutis (6-3)

Amateur MMA, Combate Americas, mixed martial arts, MMA

COMBATE AMERICAS ANNOUNCES THE ADDITION OF WOMEN’S CO-MAIN EVENT TO LIVE TELEMUNDO BROADCAST OF “COPA COMBATE” ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11 FROM CANCUN, MEXICO

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Pictured: Undefeated Melissa “Super Melly” Martinez (right) of Mexico and Miesha Tate pupil Gloria “Gloriosa” Bravo (left) of Chile will square off in a strawweight (115 pounds) co-main event on the live Telemundo broadcast of “COPA COMBATE” from Cancun, Mexico on Saturday, Nov. 11.  Photo credit: Scott Hirano/Combate Americas

MELISSA MARTINEZ OF MEXICO FACES GLORIA BRAVO OF CHILE IN STRAWWEIGHT SHOWDOWN PRECEDING
$100,000 GRAND PRIZE TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT

NEW YORK – October 18 2017 –Combate Americas today announced the addition of a women’s strawweight (115 pounds) showdown between undefeated knockout artist Melissa “Super Melly” Martinez (2-0) and Gloria “Gloriosa” Bravo (4-2) that will serve as the co-main event on the highly-anticipated, live Telemundo broadcast (11:35 p.m. ET/10:35 p.m. CT, or following “Titulares y Mas”) of the “COPA COMBATE” Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) extravaganza from Cancun, Mexico on Saturday, Nov. 11.

The battle between the 20-year-old Martinez of Mexico City, Mexico and the 31-year-old Bravo, of Santiago, Chile, will immediately precede the championship stage bout and finale of the one-night, eight-man bantamweight (135 pounds) “COPA COMBATE” tournament that will award its winner a grand prize of $100,000 and that, for the first time ever, will see top-ranked fighters from the U.S., Latin America and Spain represent their respective countries in a quest for glory.

“This is a phenomenal addition to an already stellar and historic fight card created for the Telemundo broadcast television platform,” said Combate Americas CEO Campbell McLaren.

“With the incredibly relentless and hard-hitting action we have seen from the women of Combate Americas,” continued McLaren, “it is only fitting that we showcase a matchup between two of the sport’s brightest and fastest rising female stars like Melissa Martinez and Gloria Bravo on the ‘COPA COMBATE’ platform.”

“COPA COMBATE” takes place on the 24th anniversary of McLaren’s now legendary UFC 1 event that he executive produced as the co-founder of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).  The storied event set off a combat sports revolution, and changed the martial arts fight world forever.

The 5-foot-2 Martinez will return to La Jaula, the Combate Americas cage, for the second time in her career after shelling out a stunning, highlight reel knockout of Yajaira “Shokolate” Romo in the second round (2:45) of battle at Combate 15 in Mexico City on June 30.

Following the promotional debut victory, Martinez, also a decorated Muay Thai competitor, earned a second-place finish at WAKO Kickboxing’s “The World Games 2017 – Wroclaw” tournament in Poland on July 30.

The 5-foot-5 Bravo will enter La Jaula for the first time ever and put a three-fight winning streak on the line.  All three of her latest victories came by way of armlock submission.

Bravo recently ventured from Chile to Las Vegas, Nev. to train for the upcoming matchup with famed, retired, former UFC world champion Miesha Tate.

In addition to the “COPA COMBATE” tournament championship bout and the featured women’s fight between Martinez and Bravo, Telemundo’s live broadcast of “COPA COMBATE” will feature the tournament’s semifinal stage consisting of two bouts that pit the winners of the quarterfinal stage bouts in each tournament bracket against one another. The entire quarterfinal stage of the tournament will stream live on the Telemundo Deportes En Vivo app and TelemundoDeportes.com.

Telemundo Deportes, one of the leading providers of sports content in Spanish in the United States, is home to two of the world’s most popular sporting events: the FIFA World Cup™ through 2026 and the Summer Olympic Games through 2032. In addition, Telemundo Deportes broadcasts the FIFA World Cup™ CONCACAF qualifying matches for most of the region, including the Mexico and USA national teams’ away matches and the Premier League. Telemundo Deportes is also home to “Boxeo Telemundo Ford,” the #1 boxing program in Spanish, and “Titulares y Más,” the #1 sports news, entertainment and commentary show in Spanish, among other recognized sports properties.
Combate Americas, mixed martial arts, MMA

COMBATE AMERICAS RETURNS TO MEXICO CITY ON FRIDAY, JUNE 30

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Danny “The Realist” Ramirez (pictured) will collide with Rodrigo “Kazula” Vargas in the lightweight main event of “Combate 15” in Mexico City, Mexico on Friday, June 30.

 LIVE ON AZTECA AMERICA

LIGHTWEIGHT MAIN EVENT:
RODRIGO “KAZULA” VARGAS VS. DANNY “THE REALIST” RAMIREZ

Featherweight Co-Main Event:
Levy “El Negro” Marroquin vs. Andres “The Bullet” Quintana

Featured Women’s Strawweight Bout:
Melissa “Melly” Martinez vs. Yajaira “Shokolate” Romo

Tickets for “Combate 15” on sale soon

NEW YORK – May 25, 2017 – Combate Americas will make its highly-anticipated return to Mexico City, Mexico, with a stacked lineup of professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) action at the storied Salas de Armas on Friday, June 30, live on Azteca America at 10 p.m. ET.

In the “Combate 15” lightweight (155 pounds) main event, recent Combate Americas “Fight of the Night” winner Danny “The Realist” Ramirez (6-2) will square off with seasoned battler Rodrigo “Kazula” Vargas (6-3).

In the featherweight (145 pounds) co-main event, Levy “El Negro” Marroquin (5-1) looks for his second straight win when he collides with the red-hot Andres “The Bullet” Quintana (11-2).

Additionally, Combate Americas will produce its second women’s strawweight (115 pounds) matchup in history when unbeaten upstart Melissa “Melly” Martinez (1-0) goes head-to-head with the venerable Yajaira “Shokolate” Romo (3-2).

“There is no better way to kick off our summer fight campaign than by returning to Mexico City,” Combate Americas CEO Campbell McLaren said.

“Since we brought the Combate Americas live event series to Mexico for the first time in January,” McLaren continued, “we have been unearthing some of the fiercest, young fight talent in a country that has a proud history of producing legendary world champions and, on June 30, fans will see some of the most electrifying action to date in ‘La Jaula.’”

Additional “Combate 15” matchups will be announced soon.

Rodrigo Vargas vs. Danny Ramirez

The 5-foot-7, 31-year-old Vargas heads into “Combate 15” having won four of his last five starts, with all four victories coming by way of knockout or submission.

Fighting out of Mexico City, “Kazula” will have the hometown crowd on his side as he looks to rebound from last January’s razor-thin decision loss to Marco Antonio Elpidio in what was an epic, see-saw battle at “Combate 10.”

Ramirez, 28, has more than seven years’ experience in the U.S. Marine Corps, which “The Realist” was able to parlay into a successful cagefighing career. After shredding the amateur circuit, the 5-foot-9 Californian turned pro, compiling an impressive 6-2 record with four knockouts.

His most recent victory also received “Fight of the Night” honors at last February’s “Combate 11” affair, where Ramirez upset fan-favorite Erick “Ghost Pepper” Gonzalez in a three-round war in Burbank, Calif.

Levy Marroquin vs. Andres Quintana

One of the top prospects fighting out of Monterrey, Nuevo Leone, Mexico, the 5-foot-8, 21-year-old Marroquin made a successful debut with Combate Americas by outlasting Pablo Sabori at “Combate 12” earlier this year in Tijuana.

“El Negro” boasts four finishes in five wins, split between knockouts (2) and submissions (2).

Quintana, 25, cut his teeth on season 22 of The Ultimate Fighter reality show before returning to the local circuit, where the 6-foot-1 ‘Bullet’ shot up the regional rankings to earn his spot on Combate Americas roster.

The Albuquerque, N.M.-based fighter did not disappoint, turning Combate Americas’ featherweight division on its head with a thrilling, three-round upset win over Team Alpha Male product Erick Sanchez at “Combate 11” last February.

Melissa Martinez vs. Yajaira Romo

Martinez makes her return to Mexico City, as well as her Combate Americas debut, after stopping Iliana Lopez in her first professional fight roughly one year back.

Standing 5-foot-5, Monterrey’s Yajaira Romo looks to return to the win column after her three-fight win streak was halted in early 2016. “Shokolate” is a member of the famed Combate Libre Academia, and possesses knockout power in both hands.