Combate Americas announces six new bouts for Sept. 14 in Phoenix
Combate Americas today announced a new women’s flyweight (125 pounds) co-main event – Tracy Cortez (3-1) vs, Karen Cedillo (1-0) – as well as six other new bouts featuring fighters representing five different countries, for the premier Hispanic Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) franchise’s world championship event in Phoenix on Friday, Sept. 14, live on both Univision (12 a.m. ET/PT) and Univision Deportes Network (UDN) (12 a.m. ET/9 p.m. PT).
The unbeaten, 29=year-old Cedillo of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico will replace Brandi Narvaez, who was originally slated to face off with Cortez of Phoenix, but was forced to withdraw due to an injury.
In the previously announced, world championship bantamweight (135 pounds) main event, Monterrey’s Levy Saul Marroquin (11-2), the winner of the inaugural, 2017 “COPA COMBATE,” one-night, eight-man, $100,000 grand prize tournament, will collide with fellow star Jose “Pochito” Alday (11-3-1) of Tucson, Ariz. via Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.
Among the other new fights announced today for the “Combate Americas: Marroquin vs. Alday” world championship event that will take place at Celebrity Theatre were a featured, live televised lightweight (155 pounds) contest between undefeated, rising star and Cub Swanson protégé Rafa “Gifted” Garcia (7-0) and LaRue “The Cannibal” Burley (8-3).
The 5-foot-7, 24-year-old Garcia of Palm Springs, Calif., USA by way of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico, has been on a tear since he made his professional debut nearly four years ago, defeating all but one of his opponents via (T)KO or submission.
Burley, a 5-foot-10, 34-year-old, seasoned competitor who hails from Phoenix, has faced off with top level adversaries, and is best known for his upset, third round (3:40) TKO (knee strike to the bodyand punches) of 2011 NCAA Division I national wrestling champion and previously undefeated MMA prospect Bubba Jenkins on Sept. 20, 2013.
Also announced today was a featherweight (145 pounds) preliminary bout card contest between two unbeaten prospects – Tino Gilaranz (1-0) of Madrid, Spain and Austin Wourms (1-0) of Phoenix.
In a 140-pound catchweight matchup on the undercard, Roman “El Gallito” Salazar (12-7) of Mammoth, Ariz., USA will return to La Jaula, the Combate Americas cage, for the second time in his career, to face Eduardo “El Pube” Alvarado (3-4) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.
Another featherweight scrap will see Javier “Blair” Reyes Rugeles (7-1) of Bogota, Colombiá square off with “Magic” Mike Hamel (5-2) of Gilbert, Ariz., USA.
In flyweight action, undefeated, rising star Richard Palencia (6-0) of Mesa, Ariz. will take on Federico “The Argentinian Ninja” Oliveira (3-4) of Mendoza, Argentina.
Battle-tested veterans Yaotzin Meza (21-11) of Glendale, Ariz., USA and Gilbert Aguilar (17-18-1) of Phoenix by way of Mexico City, Mexico will collide at featherweight.
Additional preliminary bout matchups for “Combate Americas: Marroquin vs. Alday” will be announced soon.
Priced from $30, tickets for “Combate Americas: Marroquin vs. Alday” are on sale at CelebrityTheatre.com and Ticketon.com.
Doors at Celebrity Theatre open at 6 p.m. PT, with the first preliminary bout will beginning at 7 p.m.
