SPORTS / OPEN TV
Nielsen research indicates that an astounding 91 percent of Combate Global viewers in the U.S. are not regular viewers of other MMA content, demonstrating that Combate Global has garnered a new MMA audience with its World Cup-style, country vs. country-style competition.
Combate Global today announced a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight card headlined by a lightweight (155 pounds) main event bout between Mexican star and 2021 “Fighter of the Year” award winner Cristian “Puas” Perez (8-1) and Spanish standout Sebastian Santana Guedes (8-4-1) on Friday, April 22, live on Univision (12 a.m. ET/PT) and TUDN USA (12 a.m. ET/9 p.m. PT) in the U.S. from Miami, Fla.
The 22-year-old Perez of Ensenada, B.C., Mexico was nearly unstoppable in 2021, winning five straight fights – four by way of (T)KO or submission – in a span of just seven months before losing a unanimous decision to Enrique “Baby Bull” Gonzalez in the championship stage of a one-night, eight-man tournament last November 12.
Santana Guedes is a 27-year-old native of Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain, a hotbed for MMA, and a veteran of Combate Global’s first-ever, one-night European tournament that took place last August 1. He has earned five of his eight professional career victories by way of submission.
Above: Sebastian Santana Guedes (left) of Spain will make his second start in La Jaula, the Combate Global competition cage, against Cristian “Puas” Perez in lightweight main event action on Friday, April.
In the women’s atomweight (105 pounds) co-main event, Diana Mendoza (2-0) of Dana Point, Calif. will take on fellow unbeaten upstart Daniela “Tiny Mexa” Hernandez (2-0) of Monterrey, N.L., Mexico.
A featured main card flyweight (125 pounds) affair will pit Gerardo “Terrier” Graniel (7-3) of Mexico City, Mexico against Chris Ocon (5-2) of Memphis, Tenn.
The preliminary bout card will be highlighted by the Combate Global debut of Georgie Garcia (9-5) of Pacoima, Calif. Garcia will collide with Mexico City’s Ismael “Kraken” Zamora (2-1), who is coming off an impressive, second round (1:28) submission (armbar) of previously undefeated Rick Zelada on April 8.
Leading off the undercard will be a women’s strawweight (115 pounds) tilt between professional debut competitor, Valentina Moriel (0-0) of Santiago, Chile and Fernanda Larios (0-2) of Guadalajara, J.L., Mexico.