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COMBATE GLOBAL ANNOUNCES WORLD BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MAIN EVENT FOR SUNDAY, MAY 28, LIVE ON PARAMOUNT+

By Mike Johnson on 5/18/2023 3:00 PM

COMBATE GLOBAL ANNOUNCES
WORLD BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MAIN EVENT
FOR SUNDAY, MAY 28, LIVE ON PARAMOUNT+
 
REIGNING COMBATE GLOBAL WORLD CHAMPION DAVID MARTINEZ
TO DEFEND HIS TITLE AGAINST TOP CONTENDER JOSE ZARAUZ
 

MIAMI – May 18, 2023 – COMBATE GLOBAL has announced a world bantamweight (135 pounds) championship fight as its next main event on Sunday, May 28, streaming live on Paramount+ (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT) from Miami.
 
Reigning COMBATE GLOBAL World Bantamweight Champion, David “The Black Spartan” Martinez (9-1) will put his coveted title on the line against former “COPA COMBATE” tournament competitor, Jose “The Mercenary” Zarauz (23-9-1).
 
The Paramount+ live stream on May 28 will begin with a 30-minute Combate Global pre-show at 9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT, and will continue with the live fight action.
 
“David Martinez has shown why he is a world champion at only 24 years old,” said COMBATE GLOBAL CEO Campbell McLaren.  “The fight with a seasoned fighter like Jose Zarauz, however, will be a new kind of challenge for the champ, though.”
 
The bout will mark the second title defense by Martinez of Mexico City, Mexico, after he successfully defended his crown against fellow Mexican star Axel Osuna last October 7.
 
To date, Martinez, also a decorated, competitive kickboxer with numerous titles on his resume and a member of the famed Mexico City-based camp, Bonebreakers, has earned 8 of his 9 professional MMA career victories by way of (T)KO.
 
Martinez became the third COMBATE GLOBAL world bantamweight champion in history on May 29, 2021 by defeating three consecutive opponents in a one-night, eight-man tournament. 
 
In the 30-year-old Zarauz, a native of Lima, Peru with 10 years of professional fight experience, Martinez faces a competitor with a great deal more of experience than the champion.
 
Zarauz, who holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and typically looks to finish opponents by way of ground-and-pound, will enter La Jaula for the first time in 2023, following a second round (4:19) victory over American Jordan Espinosa that Zarauz produced by rear-naked choke submission on May 20, 2022.
 
Other than his appearance in the 2021 “COPA COMBATE” one-night, eight-man, $100,000 grand prize tournament in 2021, the championship showdown marks the highest stakes fight of Zarauz’s career, a factor that drove him to train for the fight at the famed, New York-based Tiger Schulmann’s Martial Arts camp, where Zarauz was able to prepare with a number of MMA stars, including Julio Arce.
 
The remainder of the COMBATE GLOBAL fight card for May 28 will be announced next week.
 
Additional information about COMBATE GLOBAL and its athletes can be found on www.COMBATEGLOBAL.com as well as on FacebookInstagram, and YouTube.
 
 

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About Combate Global
Combate Global is the premier Hispanic Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sports franchise that is rapidly becoming the number two sport after soccer for Spanish speaking fans worldwide, and that consistently garners superior television ratings to those of other major, longer established sports television properties. It is the only MMA property regularly airing on broadcast television in the U.S. (Univision) and the only MMA property owned, in part, by a major Hispanic media company, as a result of TelevisaUnivision purchasing a significant equity stake in Combate Global in 2021.  In 2021, the company partnered with CBS Sports to distribute Combate Global’s live shows in English in the U.S. on Paramount+, and closed out 2022 by entering into a multi-year partnership with global entertainment powerhouse, IMG, for media rights representation worldwide.  The company’s programming is available in over 70 countries in Europe, Africa and elsewhere globally.
 
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 discovered and engaged a new MMA audience with its World Cup-like, country vs. country format of competition.  
 
Combate Global CEO Campbell McLaren, also the co-founder and creator of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), has been described by New York Magazine as "the marketing genius behind the UFC,” while Yahoo Sports has said he "knows more about the sport than just about anyone in it today."  Under his direction, the growth of Combate Americas’ television footprint and worldwide audience triggered a re-branding in 2021 to Combate Global.
 
About Paramount+
Paramount+, a direct-to-consumer digital subscription video on-demand and live streaming service, combines live sports, breaking news and a mountain of entertainment. The premium streaming service features an expansive library of original series, hit shows and popular movies across every genre from world-renowned brands and production studios, including BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and the Smithsonian Channel. The service is also the streaming home to unmatched sports programming, including every CBS Sports event, from golf to football to basketball and more, plus exclusive streaming rights for major sports properties, including some of the world’s biggest and most popular soccer leagues. Paramount+ also enables subscribers to stream local CBS stations live across the U.S. in addition to the ability to stream CBSN for 24/7 news, CBS Sports HQ for sports news and analysis.
 
For more information about Paramount+, please visit www.paramountplus.com and follow @ParamountPlus on social platforms.