Historic event takes place in Cancun, Mexico on the 24th anniversary of Combate Americas CEO Campbell McLaren’s UFC 1
Combate Americas today announced the entry of 25-year-old trailblazer and its all-time winningest fighter, John “Sexy Mexy” Castaneda (14-2), into “Copa Combate,” the historic, one-night, eight-man bantamweight (135 pounds) Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) tournament that will award its winner of three consecutive bouts a grand prize of $100,000 in Cancun, Mexico on Saturday, Nov. 11.
“Copa Combate” takes place on the 24th anniversary of UFC 1, which was executive produced by Combate Americas CEO and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) co-founder, Campbell McLaren. The storied event set off a combat sports revolution and changed the martial arts fight world forever.
Castaneda of Mankato, Minn. will enter La Jaula, the Combate Americas cage, riding a nine-fight win streak that dates back to May 2015, and that recently extended on August 1 when he put on a dominant performance to earn a unanimous decision over Cheyden Leialoha in UFC President Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series.
“We are excited to welcome John Castaneda back to Combate Americas, where he has amassed the most wins of any fighter in our young, but fast-growing organization, and delivered some of the most memorable moments ever in La Jaula with his explosive style of fighting and vicious knockout power,” said McLaren.
Following the recent victory, Castaneda signed a new, exclusive, multi-fight promotional agreement with Combate Americas, which was the first organization to place him on a national stage during its debut live event that aired on NBC Universo from Las Vegas, Nev. on September 17, 2015. Castaneda immediately shined, defeating Justin Governale by way of unanimous decision.
In his last start in La Jaula on May 5, Castaneda scored a devastating, second round (:42) TKO (punches) on five-time UFC veteran Chris “The Real Deal” Beal.
The remaining seven “Copa Combate” tournament competitors will be announced soon and will hail from various parts of Latin America, as well as Spain and the U.S., marking the first time in history that fighters will represent their respective countries on a mission to achieve greatness.
Tournament fighters will be separated into four brackets, and the top four fighters will be assigned seeded positions based on their respective worldwide rankings. Quarterfinal stage opponents for the four seeded fighters will be determined based on a lottery ball drawing.
The host venue in Cancun for “Copa Combate,” as well as ticket on-sale information for the event, will be announced soon.
