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 Combate Global airs on

Univision Univision () is an American Spanish-language free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the Latino public and includes ...

Televisa Grupo Televisa is a Mexican multimedia mass media company. A major Latin American mass media corporation, it often presents itself as the largest producer of Spanish-language content. In April 2021, Televisa and Univision Communications announce ...

TUDN TUDN (pronounced tu-de-ene; formerly called Univision Deportes Network (abbr. UDN) is an American Spanish language sports channel. Owned by TelevisaUnivision, it is an extension of the company's sports division of the same name. It launched on Ap ...

CBS Sports Network CBS Sports Network (a.k.a. CBSSN) is an American pay television network owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. When it launched in 2002 as the National College Sports Network (later College Sports Television also known as ...

and

Paramount Plus Paramount+ is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand service owned by Paramount Global. The service's content is drawn primarily from the libraries of CBS Media Ventures (including CBS Studios), Paramount Me ...

. Combate Global caters to a millennial audience. The average age of the viewer is 27.

Leadership

Campbell McLaren Campbell McLaren (born June 18, 1956) 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 ...

is the CEO and Founder of Combate Global. He is the co-founder/co-creator of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC).

Joe Plumeri Joseph J. Plumeri II (born July 7, 1943) is vice chairman of the First Data Board of Directors. He was the chairman and CEO of Willis Group Holdings (Willis), a New York Stock Exchange-listed insurance broker, until July 2013. The company has 1 ...

is the non-Executive Chairman of the board. Plumeri has served as the CEO of

Citibank Citibank, N. A. (N. A. stands for " National Association") is the primary U.S. banking subsidiary of financial services multinational Citigroup. Citibank was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York, and later became First National City ...

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 The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

minor league affiliate team, the

Trenton Thunder The Trenton Thunder are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Trenton, New Jersey, and play their home games at Trenton Thunder Ballpark. From 1994 to 2020, it was a Minor League Baseball team of the Doub ...

History

Beginnings and reality show

Combate Global began as a reality show (called Combate Americas) on

Mun2 Universo is an American pay television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises subsidiary of NBCUniversal. The network serves as a companion cable channel to the NBCUniversal's flagship broadcast television network NBC and, to som ...

, featuring ten fighters in two weight classes competing for a chance to win an exclusive contract with Combate Global. The series culminated in a set of fights, with Ismael Leon being crowned the

featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, this ...

champion and Danny Morales winning the

welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...

bracket.

Chino y Nacho Chino & Nacho is a Venezuelan pop duo, consisting of Jesús Alberto Miranda Pérez (Chino) (born November 15, 1984) and Miguel Ignacio Mendoza Donatti (Nacho) (born August 22, 1983). In 2010, the group won a Latin Grammy for Best Urban Album f ...

hosted the series, while

Daddy Yankee Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez (born February 3, 1976), known professionally as Daddy Yankee, is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer, composer, and actor. Known as the " King of Reggaetón" by music critics and fans alike, he is the artist who coined ...

served as the first commissioner of Combate Global. 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.”

Rebranding and television deals

In late March 2021, Combate Americas announced that due to rebranding the organization it is now named as ''Combate Global''. Simultaneously, they announced a five-year broadcasting partnership with

and a plan to produce 150 televised events. After increased ratings, news surfaced in late July 2021 that Univision had bought a significant equity stake in Combate Global. In late June 2021, Combate Global announced that

CBS Sports CBS Sports is the sports division of the American television network CBS. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on W 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on W 5 ...

, through

and

, would become the English language home for Combate Global.

List of events

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 Main Event: Gustavo Lopez vs. Mauricio Diaz Combate Americas: Hollywood December 16, 2015 - Florentine Gardens, Hollywood, California, United States Main Event: John Castañeda vs. Federico Lopez Combate 5 April 18, 2016 - The Exchange, Los Angeles, California, USA Main Event: Erick Sanchez vs. Mike Segura Combate 6 April 26, 2016 - The Exchange, Los Angeles, California, United States Main Event: John Castaneda vs. Gabriel Solorio Combate 7 May 9, 2016 - The Exchange, Los Angeles, California, United States Main Event: Ricky Palacios vs. Brandon Royval Combate 8 August 11, 2016 - The Exchange, Los Angeles, California, United States Main Event: John Castaneda vs. Angel Cruz Combate 9: Empire Rising October 14, 2016 - Turning Stone Resort Casino, Verona, New York, United States Main Event: John Castaneda vs. Gustavo Lopez Combate 10 January 19, 2017 - El Plaza Condesa, Mexico City, Federal District, Mexico Main Event: Gustavo Lopez vs. Steve Swanson Combate 11 February 16, 2017 - Burbank, California, United States Main Event: Danny Ramirez vs. Erick Gonzalez Combate 12 March 30, 2017 - Fausto Gutierrez Moreno Municipal Auditorium, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico Main Event: Marcelo Rojo vs. Ivan Hernandez Flores Combate 13 April 20, 2017 - Casino Del Sol Resort, Tucson, Arizona, United States Main Event: Ricky Palacios vs.

Roman Salazar Roman Salazar (born February 21, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Bantamweight division of Bellator. Background Born and raised in raised in the small town of Mammoth, Arizona, Salazar worked for a ...

Combate 14 May 5, 2017 - Ventura County Fairgrounds, Ventura, California, United States Main Event: Emilio Chavez vs. Jose Estrada Combate 15 June 30, 2017 - Sala De Armas, Mexico City, Federal District, Mexico Main Event: Rodrigo Vargas vs. Danny Ramirez Combate 16: Combate Clásico July 27, 2017 - Mana Wynwood Convention Center, Miami, Florida, United States Main Event: Ricky Palacios vs. Chris Avila Combate 17: El Grito En La Jaula September 15, 2017 - Splash Kingdom Amphitheater, Redlands, California, United States Main Event: Jose Estrada vs. Izic Fernandez Combate 18: Copa Combate November 11, 2017 - Grand Oasis Cancún, Quintana Roo, México ''Copa Combate Tournament'' ''Extra Fights'' Combate 19: Queen Warriors December 1, 2017 - Freeman Coliseum, San Antonio, Texas, United States Main Event: Kyra Batara vs. Paulina Granados Combate 20: Estrellas I April 13, 2018 - The Shrine, Los Angeles, California, United States Main Event: José “Pochito” Alday vs. John “Sexi Mexi” Castaneda Combate 21: Estrellas II April 20, 2018 - Gimnasio Nuevo León, Monterrey, Mexico Main Event: Érik "El Goyito" Pérez vs. DJ Fuentes Combate 22: México vs. USA May 11, 2018 - McClellan Conference Center, Sacramento, California, United States Main Event: Anthony “The Shark” Avila vs. José Luis Verdugo Combate 23: México vs. El Mundo May 18, 2018 - Auditorio Municipal, Tijuana, Baja C, Mexico Main Event: Andres “The Bullet” Quintana vs. Marco Antonio “La Roca” Elpidio SEASON 2 Combate 24: Alday vs. Lopez (Championship Fight) September 14 - Celebrity Theater, Phoenix, Arizona, United States Main Event: Jose "El Pochito" Alday vs. Gustavo Lopez Combate 25: Road to Copa Combate September 28, 2018 - Walter Pyramid, Long Beach, California, United States Main Event: Andres Quintana vs. Eric Gonzalez Combate 26: Mexico vs. USA October 13, 2018 - Anselmo Valencia Amphitheater, Tucson, Arizona, United States Main Event: Anthony Birchak vs. Adam Martinez Combate 27: La Batalla de Guadalajara October 26, 2018 - Nissan Gymnastics Complex, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico Main Event: Victor Hugo Madrigal vs. Cristian Quinonez Combate 28: Combate Monterrey November 17, 2018 - Nuevo León Gymnasium, Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico Main Event:

Érik Pérez Érik Gregorio Pérez Ruvalcaba (born November 19, 1989) is a Mexican mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of the Bellator MMA promotion. A professional competitor since 2008, he has competed for Shark Fights, BAMMA, UF ...

vs. Andres Ayala Combate 29: Copa Combate December 7, 2018 - Save Mart Center, Fresno, California, United States Main Event: Andres Quintana vs. Alejandro Flores Combate 30: Combate Baja February 8, 2019 - Auditorio del Estado, Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico Main Event: Rafa Garcia vs. Edgar Escarrega Combate 31: Mexico vs. USA February 22, 2019 - Save Mart Center, Fresno, California, USA Main Event: Daniel Rodriguez vs. Ivan Castillo Combate 32: Mexico vs. Spain March 8, 2019 - Arena Coliseo Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico Main Event: Erick Gonzalez vs. Alejandro Martinez Combate 33: Alday vs. Lopez 2 (Championship Fight) March 29, 2019 - Casino del Sol, Tucson, Arizona, United States Main Event: Jose Alday vs. Gustavo Lopez Combate 34: Combate Estrellas April 12, 2019 - Arena Jose Sulaiman, Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico Main Event: Alejandro Flores vs. Levy Marroquin Combate 35: Combate Reinas April 26, 2019 - Galen Center, Los Angeles, California, United States Main Event: Melissa Martinez vs. Caroline Gallardo Combate 36: Combate Stockton May 10, 2019 - Stockton Center, Stockton, California, United States Main Event: Erick Sanchez vs. Alex Velasco Combate 37: Combate Peru May 31, 2019 - Coliseo Manuel Bonilla, Miraflores, Peru Main Event: Daniel Zellhuber vs. Geanfranco Cortez Combate 38: Combate Unbreakable June 7, 2019 - Casino del Sol, Tucson, Arizona, United States Main Event: Jose Alday vs. Juan Pablo Gonzalez Combate 39: Combate Hidalgo June 21, 2019 - State Farm Arena, Hidalgo, Texas, United States Main Event: Ricky Palacios vs. Cooper Gibson Combate 40: Combate Fresno August 2, 2019 - Save Mart Center, Fresno, California, United States Main Event: Reina Cordoba vs. Zoila Frausto Combate 41: Combate Lake Tahoe August 24, 2019 - Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harvey's, Lake Tahoe, Nevada, United States Main Event: Gustavo Lopez vs. Joey Ruquet Combate 42: Combate Chicago September 6, 2019 - Cicero Stadium, Cicero, Illinois, Chicago Main Event: David Argueta vs. Ronny Mendez Combate 43: Combate Mexicali September 20, 2019 - Auditorio del Estado, Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico Main Event: Rafa Garcia vs. Erick Gonzalez Combate 44: Combate Guadalajara September 27, 2019 - Foro Sur, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico Main Event: Horacio Gutierrez vs. Chase Gibson Combate 45: Combate Tucson October 11, 2019 - Casino del Sol, Tucson, Arizona, California Main Event: Joby Sanchez vs. Jose Alday Combate 46: Combate Monterrey May 31, 2019 - Dome Care, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico Main Event: Alejandro Flores vs. Marco Elpidio Combate Tucson October 11, 2019 - Casino Del Sol, Tucson, Arizona, United States Main Event: Joby Sanchez vs. Jose Alday Combate Monterrey October 18, 2019 - Mexico Dome Care, Monterrey, Mexico Main Event: Alejandro Flores vs. Marco Antonio Elpidio Combate Día de los Muertos: Dallas November 1, 2019 - Curtis Culwell Center, Garland, Texas, United States Main event: Gilbert Urbina vs. Angelo Trevino Combate San Antonio November 8, 2019 - Freeman Coliseum, San Antonio, Texas, United States Main Event: Nadine Mandiau vs. Melissa Cervantes Combate Fresno November 22, 2019 -

Save Mart Center Save Mart Center at Fresno State is a multi-purpose arena, on the campus of California State University, Fresno (Fresno State), located in Fresno, California. An open house was held for the community on November 5, 2003, with the official ribbon ...

, Fresno, California, United States Main Event: Salvador Becerra vs. Ignacio Bahamondes Combate Americas: Tito vs. Alberto December 7, 2019 -

Payne Arena The Payne Arena is a multi-purpose complex, in Hidalgo, Texas. It was formerly known as Dodge Arena from 2003 until February 2010, State Farm Arena from 2010 to September 2018, and then State Farm Hidalgo Arena for one year. Capacity The arena ...

, Hidalgo, Texas, United States Main Event:

Tito Ortiz Jacob Christopher "Tito" Ortiz (; born January 23, 1975) is an American mixed martial artist and politician. He is currently signed to the Combate Americas promotion. Ortiz is best known for his stints with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UF ...

vs.

Alberto El Patrón José Alberto Rodríguez Chucuan (born 25 May 1977) is a Mexican-American professional wrestler, professional wrestling promoter, sports commentator, and mixed martial artist, currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) as a c ...

Combate Americas: Stockton December 13, 2019 - Stockton, California, United States Main Event: Cameron Church vs. Alejandro Sanchez Combate 53: Copa Combate December 20, 2019 - Lima, Peru Main Event: Humberto Bandenay vs. Erick Gonzalez Combate 55: Garcia vs. Bandenay February 21, 2020 -

Auditorio del Estado Auditorio del Estado is an indoor arena in Mexicali, Mexico. It is primarily used for basketball and is the home arena of the Soles de Mexicali. It can seat 4,426 people. It is located in the "Ciudad Deportiva" of Mexicali, known as the sport ...

, Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico Main Event: Rafa Garcia vs. Humberto Bandenay Combate Americas: Mexico vs. USA February 28, 2020 -

, 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. Each fighter represents their own country, in a quest to win the "Copa." The inaugural Copa took place during the 24th anniversary of the now legendary UFC 1, which was executive produced by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) co-founder and Combate Americas CEO Campbell McLaren. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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). 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) 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) Alternate Bouts * Gustavo Lopez (USA) vs. Vincente Marquez (Spain) * Pablo Sabori (Mexico) vs. Michael Irizarry (Puerto Rico) Quarter Finals * Andres Quintana defeated Marlon Gonzalez via Unanimous Decision (Score Cards: 10-9, 10-9, 10-9) * Alejandro Flores defeated John Bedoya via Submission (D'arce Choke) at 3:03 of Round 1 * Pablo Villaseca defeated Daniel Requeijo vis Split Decision (Score Cards: 10-9, 10-9, 9-10) * Bruno Cannetti defeated Joey Ruquet via Technical Knockout at 1:32 of Round 1 Semi-Finals Results * Andres Quintana defeated Bruno Cannetti via Technical Knockout at 2:05 of Round 1 * Alejandro Flores defeated Pablo Villaseca via Unanimous Decision (Score Cards: 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 ) Final Result * Andres Quintana defeated Alejandro Flores via Knockout at 2:49 of Round 1

Current World champions

Men

Women

World Championship history

Lightweight Championship

:''155 lbs (70 kg)''

Featherweight Championship

:''145 lbs (66 kg)''

Bantamweight Championship

:''135 lbs (61 kg)''

Women's Strawweight Championship

:''115 lbs (52 kg)''

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. “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. In Mexico, the event delivered over 4 million live broadcast television viewers on Azteca 7. The Facebook LIVE stream of the “Combate ESTRELLAS I” preliminary bout card delivered over 294,000 streams. 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.

Awards

Combate Americas was the winner of the

Imagen Award The Imagen Awards are administered by the Imagen Foundation, an organization dedicated to "encouraging and recognizing the positive portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment industry." To be considered for an Imagen Award, a media piece or person ...

for “Best Reality or Variety Series,” making it the first fight TV program to win a major award. Combate America won the 2014 Cable Fax Award for Best Show or Series Reality/Competition/Game Show.

References

External links

Official website
{{MMA organizations Mixed martial arts organizations