Combate Global (previously Combate Americas) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) sports franchise and media company directed toward a Hispanic audience. It includes TV broadcasts, live events, and mobile content[1]
Joe Plumeri is the non-Executive Chairman of the board. Plumeri has served as the CEO of Citibank North America, chairman and CEO of Primerica, Co-Managing Partner or Shearson Lehman Brothers, and the chairman and CEO of Willis Group Holdings. He is the Co-owner of the New York Yankees minor league affiliate team, the Trenton Thunder.[4]
History
Beginnings and reality show
Combate Global began as a reality show (called Combate Americas) on Mun2, featuring ten fighters in two weight classes competing for a chance to win an exclusive contract with Combate Global.[5] The series culminated in a set of fights, with Ismael Leon being crowned the featherweight champion and Danny Morales winning the welterweight bracket.[6]
McLaren, the CEO of Combate Global, claims that the company “was specifically created to present the best new Hispanic fighters and to introduce a whole new audience to this highly entertaining sport.”[8]
Rebranding and television deals
In late March 2021, Combate Americas announced that due to rebranding the organization it is now named as Combate Global.[9] Simultaneously, they announced a five-year broadcasting partnership with Univision and a plan to produce 150 televised events.[9] After increased ratings, news surfaced in late July 2021 that Univision had bought a significant equity stake in Combate Global.[10]
In late June 2021, Combate Global announced that CBS Sports, through CBS Sports Network and Paramount Plus, would become the English language home for Combate Global[11], while Fuse Media became the exclusive English language home in 2024.[12]
List of events
Fighters on a Beach
Combate Americas: Level vs. Arzeno
December 12, 2013 - Magic City Casino, Miami, Florida, United States
Main Event: Rene Martinez vs. Alan Arzeno
Combate Americas: Alvarez vs Patterson
September 17, 2015 - The D Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
February 28, 2020 - Save Mart Center, Fresno, California, United States
Main Event: Alejandro Martinez vs. Adrian Guzman
Copa Combate
Copa Combate is an annual, one-night eight man tournament where the winner receives a prize of $100,000.[22] Each fighter represents their own country, in a quest to win the "Copa." The inaugural Copa took place during the 24thanniversary of the now legendary UFC 1, which was executive produced by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) co-founder and Combate Americas CEO Campbell McLaren.[23]
Copa Combate: Cancun
In the fall of 2017, Combate Americas and Telemundo Deportes announced a partnership to produce Cope Combate, a tournament that took place on November 11, 2017, in Cancun, Mexico.[24]
The eight bantamweight (135 pounds) fighters were separated into four brackets with the top four fighters given seeded positions based on their worldwide rankings, while the opponents were determined based on a lottery ball drawing.[25] The tournament's semifinal stage consisted of two bouts that pit the winners of the quarterfinal stage bouts in each tournament bracket against one another. The two winners from the semifinal faced each other.[26]
Mexican fighter Levy Saúl “El Negro” Marroquín was the winner of Copa Combate, after stepping in for Ricky Palacios after he failed to make weight.[27]
Original Bracket
Mikey "El Terrible" Erosa(Puerto Rico) vs. Marcelo “Pitbull" Rojo(Argentina)
Carlos "Lobo" Rivera(Mexico) vs. Ricky "El Gallero" Palacios(USA)
John "Sexi Mexi" Castaneda(USA) vs. Kevin "El Frío" Moreyra(Peru)
Marc "Lufo" Gómez(Spain) vs. Andrés "Doble A" Ayala (Colombia)
Alternate Bouts
Levy Saúl “El Negro” Marroquín (México) vs. Alejandro “The Pitbull” Abomohor (Colombia)
Felipe Vargas (Colombia) vs. Víctor Madrigal
Ricky “El Gallero” Palacios and Andrés “Doble A Leal” Ayala were not able to make weight (the limit was 136 lbs). Therefore, Levy Saúl Marroquín took Palacios' place (now facing Rivera), while Alejandro Abomohor took Ayala's position (fighting against Gomez). [28]
Quarter Finals
Marcelo Rojo defeated Mike Erosa via Submission (armbar) at 2:20 of round 1
Levy Saúl Marroquín defeated Carlos Rivera via Unanimous Decision (Score Cards: 10–9, 10–9, 10–8)
John Castaneda defeated Kevin Moreyra via Submission (Rear-naked choke) at 4:55 of round 1.
Marc Gomez defeated Alejandro Abomohor via Unanimous Decision (Score Cards / Tarjetas: 10–9, 10–9, 10–8)
Semi-Finals Results
Levy Saúl Marroquín defeated Marcelo Rojo via Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 1:56 of round 3.
John Castaneda defeated Marc Gomez via Unanimous Decision (Score Cards: 29–28, 29–28, 29–28)
Final Result
Levy Saúl Marroquín defeated John Castaneda via Unanimous Decision (Score Cards: 30–27, 29–28, 29–28)[29]
Copa Combate: Fresno
Original Bracket
Andres Quintana(USA) vs. Marlon Gonzalez(Peru)
Alejandro Flores(Mexico) vs. John Bedoya(Colombia)
Pablo Villaseca(Chile) vs. Daniel Requeijo(Spain)
Bruno Cannetti(Argentina) vs. Joey Ruquet(Puerto Rico)
Combate Global: Bantamweight Tournament Miami, Florida, US
May 29, 2021
1,025 days (incumbent)
1. def. Arturo Vergara at Combate Global: Martinez vs. Vergara on May 29, 2022 2. def. Axel Osuna at Combate Global: Martinez vs. Osuna on Oct 7, 2022 3. def. Jose Zarauz at Combate Global: Martinez vs Zarauz on May 28, 2023
The title was vacated as Martinez's contract expired and she signed with the UFC.
Reception
“Combate ESTRELLAS I” and “Combate ESTRELLAS II” marked the first-ever live Univision and Univision Deportes Network (UDN) televised Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) events, on Friday, April 13 and Friday, April 20, respectively.[33]
“Combate ESTRELLAS I” delivered a total of 583,000 persons 2+, including 296,000 adults in the coveted 18-49 age group, on the Univision and Univision Deportes Network simulcast. Combate Americas beat Bellator 197, which aired in primetime on the Paramount Network, making it the number 2 MMA promotion that week.[34] In Mexico, the event delivered over 4 million live broadcast television viewers on Azteca 7.[35] The Facebook LIVE stream of the “Combate ESTRELLAS I” preliminary bout card delivered over 294,000 streams.[36]
Airing exclusively on UDN in the midnight ET slot the following Friday, April 20, “Combate ESTRELLAS II” delivered another 200,000 total viewers, a 10 percent increase from the first installment of the two-part, “Combate ESTRELLAS” live event series. Of the total UDN viewers for “Combate ESTRELLAS II,” 67 percent were in the 18-49 age group. The Facebook LIVE stream of the “Combate ESTRELLAS II” preliminary bout card garnered over 630,000 streams, more than doubling the online audience from ESTRELLAS I.[37]
Awards
Combate Americas was the winner of the Imagen Award for “Best Reality or Variety Series,” making it the first fight TV program to win a major award.[38]
Combate America won the 2014 Cable Fax Award for Best Show or Series Reality/Competition/Game Show.[39]
Martín Bravo is a Mexican mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division of Combate Global. He has previously competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
TUDN is an American Spanish language sports channel. Owned by TelevisaUnivision, it is an extension of the company's sports division of the same name, with TUDN the acronym of TelevisaUnivision Deportes Network. It launched on April 7, 2012, along with Univision Tlnovelas and FOROtv.
TUDN is a sports programming division of Univision, a Spanish language broadcast television network owned by TelevisaUnivision, that is responsible for the production of televised coverage of sports events and magazine programs that air on the parent Univision network and sister network UniMás, and cable channels Galavisión and TUDN TV channel. The division's premier sports properties are its broadcast rights to Liga MX, select matches involving the Mexico and United States men's national soccer teams, tournament matches from the CONCACAF Gold Cup and Copa América. The division's headquarters are at TelevisaUnivision's South Florida headquarters in the Miami suburb of Doral, Florida.
Érik Gregorio Pérez Ruvalcaba is a Mexican mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division.
Events in the year 1982 in Mexico.
Events in the year 2003 in Mexico.
Events in the year 2001 in Mexico.
Events in the year 1991 in Mexico.
Raúl López Gómez, also known as El Dedos, is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Liga MX club Santos Laguna.
The 2016 Supercopa MX was a Mexican football match-up played on 10 July 2016 between the champions of the Apertura 2015 Copa MX, Guadalajara, and the winners of the Clausura 2016 Copa MX, Veracruz. Like the 2015 edition, the 2016 Supercopa MX was one match at a neutral venue in the United States. This match took place at the StubHub Center in Carson, California. The 2016 Supercopa MX was part of a doubleheader, which also included the 2016 Campeón de Campeones, organized by Univision Deportes, Soccer United Marketing (SUM), and Liga MX.
Anthony Birchak is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division. A professional competitor since 2009. he formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Legacy Fighting Alliance, Bellator, Rizin and the MFC.
Campbell McLaren is an American entrepreneur and media executive. He is the co-creator of the UFC. ESPN said he is the 10th most influential person in UFC history and that "his influence on the promotion cannot be overstated." McLaren was responsible for marketing the first UFC shows and subsequently became responsible for the entire operation.
David Joby Sanchez is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the bantamweight division of the Legacy Fighting Alliance. A professional mixed martial artist since 2011, Sanchez has also competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Alejandro Pérez is a Mexican mixed martial artist who competed in the bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He was the bantamweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America.
José Julio Pacheco Hernández, better known by his ring name Pagano, is a Mexican luchador, or professional wrestler currently working for the Mexican AAA promotion. He originally worked primarily in and around his hometown of Juárez, Chihuahua but in recent years has worked throughout Mexico on the Independent circuit before joining AAA in 2016. His ring name is Spanish for "Pagan".
Events in the year 1981 in Mexico.
Álvaro Herrera Mendoza is a Mexican mixed martial artist competing in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 2008, he competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and was also a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 2.
Tracy Cortez is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the women's Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of 16 January 2024, she is #10 in the UFC women's flyweight rankings.
Gustavo Hernandez Lopez is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division. A professional since 2012, he has competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
John Castañeda is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2012, he formerly competed for Combate Global.
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