Combate Americas today announced 9 new bouts to complete a 10-bout lineup for its return to Mexicali, B.C., Mexico that will be headlined by the premier Hispanic Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sports franchise’s first-ever world lightweight (155 pounds) championship showdown on Friday, Sept. 20, live on television in the U.S. on both Univision (12 a.m. ET/PT) and TUDN (12 a.m. ET/9 p.m. PT) from Auditorio del Estado.
In the previously announced main event, undefeated phenom and Cub Swanson protégé Rafa “Gifted” Garcia (10-0) of Palm Springs, Calif. via Mexicali will collide with red-hot, fellow rising star Erick “Ghost Pepper” Gonzalez (10-3) of Redondo Beach, Calif. to become the first Combate Americas world lightweight champion in history.
Priced from MX $330, tickets for the Combate Americas world championship event are on sale at CombateAmericas.com/Mexicali.
In a heavyweight co-main event contest announced today, rising star Oscar Cota (10-2) of Mexicali will take on battle-tested veteran Aaron Brink (29-26) of San Diego, Calif.
One of two featured, main card bouts announced today will see undefeated Yasmine Jauregui (3-0) return to La Jaula, the Combate Americas competition cage, for the third time this year, to face off with Combate Americas veteran Yajaira “Shoko Late” Romo (5-3) of Monterrey, N.L. Mexico at strawweight (115 pounds).
The 20-year-old Jauregui exploded onto the Combate Americas scene on April 26, scoring a thunderous, 13-second knockout on Daniela Espinosa in Los Angeles, Calif., and followed up the performance with a second round (5:00) TKO (doctor stoppage) of McKenna Mitchell in Tucson, Ariz. on June 7.
Romo, 32, will look to notch her third straight victory, following a second round (2:46) TKO (leg kicks) of Vanesa Rico on May 18, 2018 and a unanimous decision over Irene “La Niña” Cabello Rivera last November 17, respectively.
The second featured contest that was announced today will pit fearsome, rising star Edgar “Pitbull” Chairez (5-1) against submission specialist Albert Trujillo (3-1) in a flyweight (125 pounds) affair.
The 23-year-old Chairez of Mexicali has delivered some of the most memorable Combate Americas moments over the course of the last two and a half years, most notably his 18-second armbar submission of Erick Villaluz in Mexico City on June 30, 2017.
Chairez is coming off another first round (3:12) armbar submission win that he pulled off against Alejandro Salazar at the Combate Americas event in Mexicali on February 8.
Fighting out of Alliance MMA in San Diego, Calif., Trujillo is looking to rebound from a unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Joao Camilo in a Combate Americas bout on March 29.
Prior to that, Trujillo had reeled off consecutive victories in his first three professional fights after amassing a perfect, 6-0 record under amateur status, with four of his amateur wins coming by way of submission
Topping the six-bout undercard that was announced today will be a featherweight (145 pounds) clash between unbeaten upstarts Jair Perez (3-0) of Monterrey and Cristian Perez (1-0) of Ensenada, B.C.
In a flyweight tilt between two Mexicali rising stars, undefeated Santiago Monreal (4-0) will throw down with Gabriel Valdez (4-1).
On the heels of a spectacular professional debut that saw her crumble Dulce Hernandez via first round (2:29) TKO with a vicious body kick at Combate Americas on February 8, Laura Huizar (1-0) of Mexicali will take on fellow prospect Karla Almaguer (0-0) of Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico in an atomweight (105 pounds) bout.
Unbeaten Ricardo Jimenez (3-0) of Mexicali will face Marcos Bonilla (4-6) of Los Angeles at featherweight.
Undefeated Eliezer Ortega (4-0) of Mexicali will battle L.J. Torres (0-0) of La Quinta, Calif. in a light heavyweight (205 pounds) fight.
Gilberto Santos (4-4) of Ensenada will meet Carlos Ernesto Ochoa (4-6) of Mexicali at featherweight.
Doors at Auditorio del Estado will open at 6 p.m. local time, and the first preliminary bout will begin at 7 p.m.
