NEW YORK – March 10, 2017 – Combate Americas announced its second event of the year in a Mexican territory – a debut visit to the city of Tijuana – on Thursday, March 30, live on Azteca America (10 p.m. ET/PT) and UFC Fight Pass® (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT), from Auditorio Fausto Gutierrez Moreno.
In the bantamweight (135 pounds) main event, Argentinian Marcelo “Pitbull” Rojo (10-4) will square off with fellow rising star and Monterrey, Mexico native Iván “El Brasil” Flores (8-1-1).
Rojo, a semifinalist on the third season of The Ultimate Fighter Latin America, will make his promotional debut in La Jaula, the Combate Americas cage, and set out to prove that he has the tools necessary to lead Combate Americas’ fast-growing, 135-pound division.
“I’m not only here as a guest. I came here to become the most important fighter in my division,” said Rojo. “MMA has grown in Argentina, and it’s about time that we show that on this side of the continent. This fight will be a duel between the North against South.”
On the other side, Flores, who suffered his first career defeat at the hands of unbeaten Mark “The Bumblebee” Delarosa at the Combate Americas event in Mexico City, Mexico on January 19, now wants to return to the win column immediately.
“When you face a Mexican fighter, you have to be prepared for the most difficult fight of your life. I hope (Rojo) is aware of that, if he wants to be victorious” said Flores.
Rojo will fight for the first time in Mexico after an extensive career in South American arenas where he has become one of the most popular fighters in the region.
In the featherweight (145 pounds) co-main event, Walter Zamora (9-2) of Costa Rica will battle Alex “Gallito” Flores (8-1) of Monterrey.
Zamora’s debut in Combate Americas will once again personify the sports rivalry between Mexican and Central American fighters.
“Mexico is always the one to beat at any sport,” Zamora explained. “It won’t be any different against Flores. We are going to put on a good show. It will be a spectacular evening because the best fighters of the Americas will be present in Tijuana.”
In other action in La Jaula, Erick “Ghost Pepper” González (5-2) of Los Angeles, Calif. will return to action just six weeks after his heroic, “Fight of the Night” performance against Danny “The Realist” Ramírez at Combate11 on February 16.
Gonzalez will battle Marco Antonio “La Roca” Elpidio (7-1) of Mexico City in a lightweight (155 pounds) affair. Elpidio was victorious by way of split decision over Rodrigo “Kazula” Vargas at the Combate Americas event in Mexico City.
Gonzalez’s three-fight win streak was snapped when he gave up a unanimous decision to Ramirez.
In another bantamweight scrap, Joey “El Cazador” Ruquet (4-1) of Las Vegas, Nev. will collide with Jose Salasar (4-2) of Tijuana.
Ruquet notched a spectacular victory by submission (rear-naked choke) in the second round (1:47) of action against Jose “The Ghost” Ceja at the Combate Americas event in Mexico City.
Additional Combate12 bouts 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 TV AZTECA
TV Azteca is one of the two largest producers of Spanish-language television programming in the world, operating two national television networks in Mexico, El trece and Azteca 7, through more than 300 owned and operated stations across the country. TV Azteca affiliates include Azteca US, a broadcast television network focused on the rapidly growing U.S. Hispanic market, and Azteca Web, an Internet company for North American Spanish speakers.
ABOUT AZTECA AMERICA’S NETWORK
Azteca America engages Spanish-language viewers by creating unique, passionate and enlightening content that is relevant to the daily lives of our audience. Wholly owned by Mexican broadcaster TV Azteca, S.A.B. de C.V. one of the two largest producers of Spanish-language content in the world, Azteca America complements its Mexican programs with an innovative lineup of shows from third-party producers and distributors to ensure the finest programming for its audience. The company provides tailored, multi-platform advertising solutions for clients seeking to reach the most dynamic consumer group in the country.
