Combate Americas announced the launch of a two-part, live television Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight series featuring a lineup of top rising stars from Mexico and Spain facing off against one another, beginning with a showdown at the historic Lucha Libre venue, Arena Coliseo in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico on Friday, March 8, live in Spanish in the U.S. on both Univision (12 a.m. ET/PT) and UDN (12 a.m. ET/9 p.m. PT), and in English in the U.S. and Canada on DAZN (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT).
The two-part live event series will conclude in Spain in the fall. “Mexico and Spain are two of the fastest rising MMA scenes in the world,” said Combate Americas CEO Campbell McLaren. “This is nothing short of a global battle for supremacy.” In the lightweight (155 pounds) main event Alvaro “Chango” Herrera (9-6) will collide with Ignacio “Levium Armorum” Capella (5-1). Also a bantamweight (135 pounds) co-main event pitting Victor “Periquito” Hugo Madrigal (7-2) against Zebenzui “El Niño Roca” Ruiz (7-2).
In a featured women’s atomweight (105 pounds) contest, unbeaten prospect Alitzel Mariscal (1-0) will clash with 12-time Spanish national Judo champion Vanessa “Chiquinta” Rico (3-4).
Alvaro Herrera vs. Ignacio Capella
Herrera is a 29-year-old native of Guadalajara and 11-year veteran of the sport who has produced eight of his nine-career wins by way of (T)KO or submission.
A former competition reality television series contestant on The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 2, Herrera will look to return to the win column in what will mark his promotional debut for Combate Americas following his exit from the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) last year.
The 26-year-old Capella of San Luis, Menorca, Spain will make his Combate Americas promotional debut riding a five-fight win streak, with all five victories having come by way of (T)KO or submission. In his latest effort last April 7, Capella earned a second round (3:24) TKO (leg injury) win over Chrisophe Rea in a matchup in Carcassonne, Aude, France.
Victor Madrigal vs. Zebenzui Ruiz
The 29-year-old Madrigal of Guadalajara is coming off an epic, career-best performance, defeating fellow rising star Cristian Quiñonez by way of third-round (2:14) submission (rear-naked choke) after a relentless, see-saw battle at Combate Americas’ debut live event in Guadalajara on October 26, 2018.
The 25-year-old Ruiz of Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain is riding a four-fight win streak headlining into what will mark his debut for Combate Americas. Another aggressive finisher, Ruiz has claimed all but one of his seven career victories by way of (T)KO or submission.
Alitzel Mariscal vs. Vanessa Rico
Fighting out of the famed Team Grasso in Guadalajara, the 20-year-old Mariscal made an impressive professional debut at Combate Americas’ inaugural event in Guadalajara, dominating a more experienced Brenda Enriquez for three consecutive rounds en route to a unanimous decision win.
Rico of Alicante, Spain will look to rebound from a second round (2:46) TKO (leg kicks) defeat at the hands of Yajaira “Shoko” Romo in Combate Americas action in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico on May 18, 2018.
A complete preliminary bout card for the first installment of the “Combate Americas: Mexico vs. Spain” series will be announced soon. Doors at Arena Coliseo will open for the event at 6 p.m. local time, and the first preliminary bout will begin at 7 p.m.
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 fans worldwide. The Combate Americas franchise includes live event and original shoulder programming on some of the biggest television, OTT and digital platforms in Spanish and English, including Univision and Univision Deportes Network (UDN), DAZN, ESPN, GOL and Facebook Watch worldwide. The company also owns and operates a multi-platform media studio, La Jaula Studios.
Combate Americas CEO Campbell McLaren, also the co-founder/co-creator of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), has been described by New York Magazine as “the marketing genius behind the UFC,” while Yahoo Sports has said he “knows more about the sport than just about anyone in it today.” With an unprecedented and cutting edge 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 Univision Deportes
Univision Deportes is the multimedia sports division of Univision Communications Inc. (UCI) and includes UDN, the No. 1 Spanish-language sports network in the U.S. Univision Deportes’ portfolio of rights includes all 18 teams in Liga MX, the Mexican National Team, the U.S. Men’s & Women’s National Teams, Major League Soccer, Copa MX, Copa Centroamericana, Copa América, CONCACAF Gold Cup, CONCACAF Champions League, international friendlies, select matches from Liga de Ascenso in Mexico, Portuguese First Division, Dutch First Division, FC Barcelona TV and Bayern Munich TV, Mexico’s Campeón de Campeones and SúperCopa, and Formula 1. Univision Deportes is also the exclusive home to shows such as Premios Univision Deportes, Solo Boxeo, Zona NBA, Republica Deportiva and Contacto Deportivo, the highest-rated Spanish-language sports studio show in the U.S., and delivers comprehensive coverage across platforms on all the latest from the NBA, NFL, MLB, and world of boxing.
About DAZN
Globally, DAZN is a 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 the service’s sports on connected devices including Smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, games consoles and PCs. DAZN is currently available in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Japan, Canada, Italy and now the U.S. at just $9.99 per month after a one-month free trial – where it is set to become a must-have service for fight fans, with 100+ fight nights already lined up from Matchroom Boxing, Bellator MMA, the World Boxing Super Series, Combate Americas and the newly announced Golden Boy Promotions.