Combate Americas today announced that it will return to Tucson, Ariz. with another sensational Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight card on Friday, Oct. 11, 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 AVA Amphitheater at Casino Del Sol.
Priced from $15, tickets for the Combate Americas live MMA event are on sale at CombateAmericas.com/Tucson.
In the bantamweight (135 pounds) main event, former world champion Jose “Pochito” Alday (13-4-1) will look to continue his return to title contention when he faces off with rising star Andre Barquero (6-2).
“The men’s bantamweight division is arguably the most competitive and cutthroat within our entire roster, and this main event between former world champion, Jose Alday, and Andre Barquero, a young, but seasoned competitor that recently joined our ranks, has the makings of another epic battle in Tucson, where we have produced some of our most memorable action yet,” said Combate Americas CEO Campbell McLaren.
The 27-year-old Alday of Tucson via Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, is coming off a vintage performance, earning a unanimous decision over Argentina’s Juan Pablo “El Molo” Gonzalez at AVA Amphitheater on June 7, after three hard-fought rounds.
Alday’s return to the win column came one fight after he relinquished his title to Gustavo Lopez, who scored a first round (2:19) TKO (punches) on Alday on March 29, 2019, in what was a rematch to the pair’s initial meeting that Alday won by way of split decision to become the inaugural Combate Americas world champion.
Fighting out of San Pedro, Costa Rica, the 24-year-old Barquero will make his debut in La Jaula, the Combate Americas competition cage, and look to rebound from a unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Sean Santella on June 14.
Prior to the loss, Barquero had run to six consecutive victories – five of them via (T)KO or submission.
In a featured bantamweight bout announced today, Anthony “El Toro” Birchak (15-6) will take on Jose Luis “Puppy” Calvo (8-2).
The 33-year-old Birchak of Tucson is looking to collect his third consecutive victory after two back-to-back, first-round wins – a 51-second TKO (punches) of Adam Martinez at Combate Americas last October 13, followed by a submission (rear-naked choke) of Raphael Montini de Lima that came at the 1:34 mark of the opening stanza on July 26.
Fighting out of Chicago, Ill., the 26-year-old Calvo, a native of Santo Domingo de Heredia, Costa Rica will return to Tucson and look to bounce back from the close, split decision defeat he suffered there at the hands of Eduardo “El Pube” Alvarado Osuna at Combate Americas on June 7.
Prior to the loss, Calvo had run to six consecutive victories.
In the first preliminary bout announced today and a matchup between two unbeaten, bantamweight prospects, Guillermo “Memo” Torres (3-0) of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico will square off with Orlando Jimenez (2-0) of Phoenix, Ariz. via St. Louis, Mo.
Additional bouts for the Combate Americas event at Casino Del Sol’s AVA Amphitheater in Tucson on October 11 will be announced soon.
