Tag Archives: Nicdali Rivera-calanoc

Combate Americas, mixed martial arts, MMA

Retired Women’s MMA Star Named Combate Americas Fight Director

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Retired, former Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) world champion Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc has been appointed Combate Americas Fight Director.  Photo credit: Fred Siegel/Combate Americas, LLC

COMBATE AMERICAS NAMES
NICDALI RIVERA-CALANOC
FIGHT DIRECTOR

Former MMA world champion becomes the first Mexican American woman In history to lead matchmaking efforts for a combat sports franchise

NEW YORK – July 13, 2017 – Combate Americas has named retired, former women’s Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) world champion Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc, a Fight Director for the Hispanic sports and media franchise.

The appointment makes Rivera-Calanoc the first Mexican American woman in history to be charged with leading recruitment and matchmaking efforts for a combat sports organization.

Based in Las Vegas, Nev., Rivera-Calanoc, a training partner of former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) world champion Miesha Tate, will be responsible for managing the rapidly expanding field of women athletes that compete for the Combate Americas live television event series, both in the U.S., and internationally in Latin America.

She will also participate in the recruiting and matchmaking processes for the Combate Americas men’s division.

“We are thrilled to welcome Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc to our fast-growing and robust team of executives,” said Combate Americas CEO and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) co-founder Campbell McLaren.

“Throughout her involvement in the sport,” continued McLaren, “Nicdali has been the consummate professional both in and out of competition, and we are confident that her vast experience as a professional athlete, will be a conduit to success working with the new generation of the sport that Combate Americas is investing in.”

Rivera-Calanoc has made history with Combate Americas twice before, competing in both the franchise’s first-ever, live televised U.S. event in Las Vegas in 2015, as well as its first live televised event in Mexico last January with Tate in her corner.

A 10-year veteran of professional MMA competition, Rivera-Calanoc was ranked amongst the top 10 fighters in the world in three different weight classes – flyweight (125 pounds), strawweight (115 pounds) and atomweight (105 pounds) – at three different points in her career.

On August 23, 2008, Rivera-Calanoc was crowned a world champion after defeating Shawn Tamaribuchi by way of unanimous decision in a flyweight contest in Shawnee, Okla.

Born in Chihuahua, Mexico, Rivera-Calanoc immigrated to the U.S. at age 5 with her family, and was raised in Tulsa, Okla.  She returned to her roots in Chihuahua annually until her latter teenage years.
Amateur MMA, Combate Americas, mixed martial arts, MMA

COMBATE AMERICAS ANNOUNCES MAIN EVENT FOR MMA LEAGUE’S HISTORIC MEXICO DEBUT: STEVE SWANSON VS. GUSTAVO LOPEZ

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LIVE FROM EL PLAZA CONDESA IN MEXICO CITY ON
AZTECA AMERICA AND UFC FIGHT PASS®
ON THURSDAY, JANUARY 19

Atomweight Co-Main Event:
Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc vs. Lisbeth Lopez Silva

Plus:
Lightweight:  Rodrigo “Kazula” Vargas vs. Marco Antonio “La Rocka” Elipidio
Bantamweight: Jose Ceja vs. Joey Ruquet

NEW YORK – January 3, 2017 – Combate Americas today announced four spectacular Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) bouts, including a bantamweight (135) main event between rising stars Steve Swanson (14-2) and Gustavo Lopez (6-2) – for the league’s much-anticipated, historic debut in Mexico on Thursday, Jan. 19, live on Azteca America (10 p.m. ET/PT) and UFC FIGHT PASS® (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT).

The event, which will take place at El Plaza Condesa in Mexico City, will also air via tape delay in Mexico the following night, Friday, Jan. 20 at 11 p.m. CT., on TV Azteca, S.A.B. de C.V. (BMV: AZTECA; Latibex: XTZA), one of the two largest producers of Spanish-language television programming in the world.

In the atomweight (105 pounds) co-main event, former world championship challenger Nicdali “The Night Queen” Rivera-Calanoc (9-9) will make her long-awaited return to La Jaula, the Combate Americas cage, and face red-hot Lisbeth Lopez Silva (3-3).

“We are excited to be assembling a phenomenal fight card, and to have the opportunity to be at the forefront of MMA’s growth in Mexico with our unique and fast-growing sports franchise,” said Combate Americas CEO Campbell McLaren.

In other main card action, two hard-hitting, Mexico City rivals, Rodrigo “Kazula” Vargas (9-5) and Marco Antonio “La Rocka” Elpidio (4-1-1) will collide at lightweight (155 pounds).

Fellow upstarts Jose “The Ghost” Ceja (4-3) and Joey “El Cazador” Ruquet (3-1) will square off at bantamweight.

Additional bouts for the Combate Americas event will be announced soon.

The 5-foot-5, 36-year-old younger brother of UFC star Cub Swanson, Steve of Indio, Calif. is a 36-year-old prolific knockout artist whose family originally hails from Chihuahua, Mexico.

Swanson is a winner of his last four fights, all by way of (T)KO.  He is coming off an explosive, 38-second stoppage of Christian Rios on October 22.

Fighting out MMA legend Randy “The Natural” Couture’s Xtreme Couture camp in Las Vegas, Nev. Lopez is a 5-foot-5, 27-year-old finisher originally from Yakima, Wash.

Lopez emerged unbeaten, with a record of 3-0, during the Combate Americas “Road To The Championship” fight series that spanned from September 2015 to May 2016.  He has notched five of his six professional career victories via (T)KO or submission.

Rivera-Calanoc is a 5-foot-3, 31-year-old resident of Las Vegas, Nev. and native of Tulsa, Okla., as well as a battle-tested veteran of the sport who has faced a handful of top rivals in the women’s field, including Jessica Penne.

Rivera-Calanoc, whose ancestral roots are in Chihuahua, took a split decision in her last start on March 12, from Ronni Nanney.

Lopez Silva of Mexico City is aiming for her fourth straight win on the heels of a unanimous decision over Marcel Yineris Nieto on December 2 in Panama City, Panama.

A former welterweight (170 pounds), Vargas of Mexico City is a 5-foot-8, 31-year-old powerhouse who will put a three-fight win streak on the line.

To date, the Mexican Pride team member has claimed all of his wins by way of (T)KO or submission.

Elpidio, whose nickname translates to “The Rock,” is also a former welterweight standout who will look to secure his third consecutive win.

In his last effort on March 19, Elpidio, a member of the Renzo Gracie affiliate team in Mexico City, scored a second round (3:16) TKO on Francisco Vargas with an onslaught of punches.

The 5-foot-7, 31-year-old Ceja of Port Arthur, Texas will make his second start under the promotion of Combate Americas.

In his debut for the league on October 14, Ceja avenged a previous loss in dynamic fashion, scoring a first round (4:22) knockout on Irwin “The Beast” Rivera in the first live televised, professional MMA event since UFC 7 in September 1995.

Ruquet of Las Vegas, Nev. via Venice, Fla. is a 5-foot-8, 24-year-old upstart and seasoned striker who will make his second appearance in La Jaula after submitting Luke Faultersack with an anaconda choke in the second round (4:28) of action on April 25.

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mixed martial arts

COMBATE AMERICAS AND NBC UNIVERSO KICK OFF ALL-NEW MMA FIGHT SERIES  “ROAD TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP” LIVE ON THUR., SEPT. 17  FROM LAS VEGAS

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NBC UNIVERSO to Feature Combate Americas’
Most Bad-Ass Latino MMA Fighters

Main Event: Ramiro “Junior” Hernandez vs. Max Ceniceros 
Also in action: Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc, Ozzie Alvarez,
John “Sexy Mexy” Castaneda and
reality TV stars Ricky Palacios and JC Llamas

NEW YORK – August 26, 2015 – Combate Americas, the first-ever U.S. Hispanic Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sports franchise founded by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) co-creator Campbell McLaren, and NBC UNIVERSO, the modern sports and entertainment cable channel for Latinos, today announced the kick-off of “Road To The Championship,” an all-new, multi-year MMA fight series that will air live on NBC UNIVERSO. The first live event in the Combate Americas series will air on Thursday, September 17 at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT. from The D in Las Vegas, Nev., just in time for the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Combate Americas is the groundbreaking, live MMA fight series created specifically for U.S. Hispanics who are passionate about the artistry and action of the sport. Fans can tune into NBC UNIVERSO to watch these modern day gladiators enter the cage to compete for a chance at glory.

The Combate Americas live fight series schedule on NBC UNIVERSO includes:

  • Thurs., Sept. 17, 2015 at 11p ET / 8p PT
  • Thurs., Nov. 19, 2015 at 11p ET / 8p PT
  • In 2016, four additional dates TBD

“We are excited to expand our relationship with NBC UNIVERSO, and look forward to delivering action-packed fight cards featuring some of the best Latino fighters on the planet,” said McLaren, who created Combate Americas two years ago to serve the fastest-growing U.S. demographic – Hispanic millennials.

“NBC UNIVERSO’s partnership with Combate Americas’delivers on our promise to provide our Latino viewers rousing and edgy entertainment and the biggest events,” said Rubén Mendiola, President, NBC UNIVERSO.

The Combate Americas fight series comes one-year after Combate Americas – the competition reality series, made history by becoming the first fight-themed program ever to win a major television award – “Best Variety or Reality Series,” at last year’s 29th Annual Imagen Awards. The Combate Americas reality show aired on NBC UNIVERSO (formerly mun2) and was a fan favorite among U.S. Hispanic viewers.

In the main event of the live NBC Universo telecast of the Combate Americas kick-off event on Thur., Sept. 17, two-time UFC veteran and Miletich Fighting Systems prodigy Ramiro “Junior” Hernandez (17-7) of Muscatine, Iowa will square-off with hard-hitting KO artist Max Ceniceros (7-2) of La Mirada, Calif. in a featherweight (145 lbs.) main event showdown. Ceniceros is seeking his seventh consecutive victory, after finishing four of his last six opponents by way of (T)KO or submission.

Also on the fight card that night will be Combate Americas reality series stars J.C. Llamas (5-5) and Ricky “El Gallero” Palacios (3-1), who will make their respective second starts in the Combate Americas cage.

The runner-up in the reality series competition, Llamas of Bakersfield, Calif., will square-off against aggressive-minded finisher Ozzie “The Outlaw” Alvarez (6-2) of Brea, Calif. in a welterweight (170 pounds) contest. Palacios of Mission, TX will face Benji “The Brawler” Gomez (4-4) of Ventura, Calif. in a bantamweight (135 pounds) matchup.

In a featured women’s strawweight (115 pounds) bout, Invicta FC veteran Nicdali “The Night Queen” Rivera-Calanoc (8-8) of Tulsa, Okla. will collide with power puncher Katy “Red Dragon” Collins (2-1) of Branson, Mo.

Additional fights, including a complete preliminary bout card will be announced soon.
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ABOUT COMBATE AMERICAS
Combate Americas, LLC. is the first U.S. Hispanic Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sports franchise in history, designed to build Latino fighting champions and serve Hispanic fans, one of the world’s most avid groups of prize fighting enthusiasts.  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.

About NBC UNIVERSO:
NBC UNIVERSO (www.nbcuniverso.com) is a modern sports and entertainment cable channel for Latinos, bringing the world’s top sports franchises and edgy programming to more than 40 million households in the U.S. As one of the most widely available modern cable channels for U.S. Latinos, NBC UNIVERSO delivers a thrilling mix of exclusive sports action – including FIFA World Cup™, Liga MX, Premier League, NASCAR Mexico Series, NFL and The 2016 Rio Olympics – along with signature series, blockbuster movies, music, must-see live events and strategic acquisitions, on TV, online and mobile devices. NBC UNIVERSO is part of Hispanic Enterprises and Content, a division of NBCUniversal (www.nbcuniversal.com), one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation (www.comcastcorporation.com). To find the NBC UNIVERSO channel number in your area, please visit www.nbcuniverso.com/encuentralo.