Marroquin & Alday will dispute first ever Combate America’s championship
Combate Americas and Univision Deportes today announced a blazing start to the second half of their 2018 live Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) series with a world championship event on Friday, Sept. 14. Live from the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, Ariz., the action will be simulcast on Univision (12 a.m. ET/PT) and Univision Deportes Network (UDN) (12 a.m. ET/9 p.m. PT).
Priced from $30, tickets for the Combate Americas world championship MMA extravaganza are on sale at CelebrityTheatre.com and Ticketon.com.
In the main event, Levy Saul Marroquin (11-2), the inaugural “COPA COMBATE” one-night, eight-man, $100,000 grand prize tournament champion, will look to also become the premier Hispanic MMA sports franchise’s first-ever bantamweight (135 pounds) world champion, when he squares off with rival, prolific Mexican star Jose “Pochito” Alday (11-3-1).
The much-anticipated showdown will mark the first time in history that a major, worldwide recognized MMA sports franchise will utilize three rounds, rather than the traditional, five-round format, for a world championship bout.
“MMA now stands for ‘Mucho Más Acción,’ and this is exactly what the world is going to see with a three-round title fight – more action in a shorter, faster and superior format that serves Combate Americas’ younger, millennial audience perfectly,” said Combate Americas CEO Campbell McLaren.
“This championship fight,” continued McLaren, “is a remarkable showdown between two ferocious warriors whose recent, respective performances in La Jaula have earned them the right to face off with each other for a coveted world title.
“We are thrilled to deliver another season of Combate Americas to our viewers and broadcast its first-ever world championship match,” said Juan Carlos Rodríguez, president, Univision Deportes. “We look forward to treating MMA fans to all the action of one of the most popular sports today with Univision Deportes’ best-in-class sports production.”
Also featured on the live simulcast will be a women’s flyweight (125) contest between top prospect Tracy Cortez (3-1) of Phoenix and Brandi Narvaez (0-2) of Corpus Christi, Texas.
LEVY MARROQUIN VS. JOSE ALDAY
The 22-year-old Marroquin of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon became an overnight Cinderella story last November 17 in Cancun, Mexico, defeating three consecutive, stand-out opponents – Carlos “Lobo” Rivera of Mexico, Marcelo “Pitbull” Rojo of Argentina and John “Sexi Mexi” Castaneda of the U.S. – in one night to become the first, annual “COPA COMBATE” tournament champion.
Alday, a 26-year-old native of Hermosillo, Sonora and resident of Tucson, Ariz., is coming off his career-best victory to date, a split decision win over Castaneda in the main event of the historic, first, live Univision and UDN simulcast of MMA action with “Combate Estrellas I” in Los Angeles, Calif.
TRACY CORTEZ VS BRANDI NARVAEZ
Cortez is an explosive, 24-year-old fighter who will look to extend a three-fight winning streak in what will mark her promotional debut with Combate Americas and first-ever live television appearance.
In her last fight, she pulled off a first round (4:27) victory by way of submission (rear-naked choke) against Monica Medina.
Narvaez, hailing from Corpus Christi, Texas, is looking for her first victory as a professional mixed martial artist, after compiling a perfect, 4-0 record under amateur status. The 33-year-old is a seasoned Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitor schooled by husband and former MMA star Roger Narvaez.
An additional matchup for the live, televised, main card of the Combate Americas world championship event will be announced soon, as will a complete, preliminary bout card.
Doors at Celebrity Theatre open at 6 p.m. PT, with the first preliminary bout will beginning at 7 p.m.
