The yearly Combate Global tradition of a one-night Copa Combate tournament will return on Dec. 12 and hand the night’s winner a substantial US $100,000 cash prize.
The Copa Combate has become a pillar of the promotion’s year-end content as they aim to end their fight schedule with a bang. After being preempted in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the promotional staple of a one-night eight-man tournament is back and will air exclusively on Paramount+, from inside Univision’s studio in Miami, Fla.
Copa Combate one-night tourney returns on Dec. 12 with a $100K prize
One-night tournaments have been an element of MMA since its inception. Combate Global CEO Campbell McLaren was a co-creator of the UFC and he’s made sure to make the same tradition that helped to make cage fighting a legitimate sport, a key element of what makes Combate Global a growing brand in the industry today.
“Since we launched ‘Copa Combate’ in 2017, it has become the most prominent place to represent your country in the most challenging type of tournament in sports, and this year’s field of fighters looks to be our most competitive and most exciting yet,” McLaren in a statement.
The tournament will take place in the bantamweight division, and feature Combate Global 135-pound champion David “Black Spartan” Martinez (6-1). Quarterfinal and semifinal bouts will be contested in one five-minute round. The Copa Combate championship bout will see the finalists compete in three five-minute rounds. The tourney will include fighters from Mexico, Peru, the US, Ireland, Spain, Chile, and France.
Along with the champion, the tournament field will feature 21-year-old Kevin Cordero (12-2), New York native Leo Muniz (6-1), IMMAF champion Frans “The Zulu Irishman” Mlambo (10-5), Jose “The Mercenary” Zarauz (22-8-1), submission ace Cristian “El Scorpio” Barraza (7-3), Diaz brothers teammate Luciano “El Aguila” Ramos (8-6), and Pierre “The French Hawaiian” Daguzan (6-5) of France.
The tournament brackets, as well as alternate bouts, will be announced at a later date.
Combate Global ratings in 2021 have consistently trended up. Their events air in English on Paramount+, and in Spanish on Univision. The promotion’s recent event on Nov. 12 earned 679,000 average viewers, with 340,000 of them in the all important adults 18 to 49-years-old demographic.
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