Combate Global has announced the official brackets for its “Copa Combate”, a one-night, eight-man tournament with $100,000 prize money on the line. The competition will be held in the bantamweight division and will take place on Sunday, December 12th in Miami, Florida. It will be broadcast by Paramount+.
Copa Combate Quarterfinal Bouts Set
Carlos Briseño vs. Cristian “El Scorpio” Barraza
Carlos Briseño, 31, lives in Mexico City and has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. He is a member of the Bonebreakers fight camp, and is riding a two-fight winning streak with a 13-2 record overall. In his Combate Global debut in October at Combate Global 21, he won by unanimous decision over Adam Martinez.
Three years younger, Cristian Barraza has a record of 7-2. He is a BJJ brown belt, so it comes as no surprise that all of his wins came by way of submission. He also fought last time in October, when he submitted Diego Silva by armbar.
Frans “The Zulu Irishman” Mlambo vs. Jose “The Mercenary” Zarauz
Frans Mlambo is a protege of the world-renowned trainer John Kavanagh and SBG Ireland. He is an IMMAF World Championships gold medalist and will be the first Irish fighter to fight in “Copa Combate” tournament. He enters the competition on two-fight winning streak, and holds a 10-5 record, with 8 of his wins coming before the final bell.
Representing Peru, Jose Zarauz is the most experienced fighter in the tournament and has 22-8 -1 record to prove that.
Leo Muniz vs. Pierre Daguzan
Leo Muniz, who is 31 years old, had to defeat Team Alpha Male member Hector ‘El Matador’ Fajardo twice, once in May and again in August to secure his place in “Copa Combate”. His record overall is 6-1.
The Frenchmen Pierre Daguzan found his new home in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is 35 years old, which makes him the oldest competitor in the tournament. He is BJJ purple belt and his last fight took place on July 16th, when he won over Carlos Puente Jr. by unanimous decision to bring his record to 6-5.
Kevin Cordero vs. Luciano Ramos
Kevin Cordero is the top-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in his native country of Spain. Nine of his 12 wins came within the distance. In his Combate Global debut back in September at Combate Global 18, he submitted former Bellator contender Ricky Bandejas by a triangle choke. His record is 12 wins and 2 losses.
Luciano Ramos is a member of the Diaz brothers’ fight camp. Since joining the training facility based in Stockton, California, he has won 6 fights by submission or TKO. He is undefeated in 2021 and comes off the first-round win over Keilen Fantroy by way of submission to bring his record to 8-6.
Copa Combate Reserve Bouts
There are going to be two reserve bouts, so in case of injury, tournament participants could be replaced by the winners of these. Colombia’s Felipe “Pipe” Vargas (7-2) will take on unbeaten Diego “El Niño” Gomez Manzur of Chile (4-0), and America’s Ricky Bandejas (14-6) will fight Alan “Beche” Cantu Garcia of Mexico (9-7).
Additional Matchups
Women will also be present on this fight card Criszaida Adames (5-1) will take on Caroline ‘Taz’ Gallardo (5-4) at strawweight, and Lucero ‘La Loba’ Acosta (2-2) will fight against Rosselyn Chavira (1-0) at flyweight.
Featured Image courtesy of Combate Global
