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MIAMI – August 17, 2023 – COMBATE GLOBAL today announced a complete, five-fight Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight card for Saturday, Aug. 19, live on Paramount+ from Miami.
Saturday’s live Paramount+ stream of COMBATE GLOBAL will begin with a 30-minute pre-show, hosted by Jimmy Smith and Rodolfo Roman, at 9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT, and will continue with the first preliminary bout at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT.
In the lightweight (155 pounds) main event, Ivan “Choko” Castillo (22-17) will face off with Santiago “The Scorpion King” Guzman (7-3).
The 33-year-old Castillo of Ensenada, B.C., Mexico is a 10-time veteran of COMBATE GLOBAL action and a two-time regional MMA champion in the heavier welterweight (170 pounds) division.
A purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Castillo boasts a 64 percent finish rate and is known for his incredible gas tank and grit that have carried him through 39 professional fights.
Fighting out of Houston, Texas, the 30-year-old Guzman is a native of Palmira, Valle del Cauca, Colombia and a member of WAR Training Center’s deep fighter bench that includes over a dozen established professional competitors.
Guzman will be making his COMBATE GLOBAL promotional debut, and will look for his third consecutive victory after earning a unanimous decision over COMBATE GLOBAL veteran Pablo “El Gallo Negro” Sabori on February 5.
In a featured women’s bantamweight (135 pounds) bout on the card, Kristina Pettigrew (4-2) will take on unbeaten Claudia Villalobos (1-0).
Pettigrew, a 37-year-old, former undefeated amateur and resident of San Diego, Calif., is a four-time COMBATE GLOBAL veteran and the only fighter, to date, to defeat COMBATE GLOBAL star Maritza Sanchez, whom Pettigrew submitted with a rear-naked choke in the first round (4:01) of battle on December 13, 2019.
Pettigrew will look for her third straight victory when she faces Villalobos.
Standing opposite Pettigrew, the 25-year-old Villalobos hails from Santiago and fights out of Miami’s MMA Masters gym.
Villalobos, who holds a black belt in kickboxing and sports an 11-1 record as a professional competitor in the combat sport, made her professional debut on October 30, 2022, earning a unanimous decision over Portugal’s Andreia Filipa Pinto Da Conceicao.
In a second featured contest on the live televised show and a Mexico vs. USA matchup, Daniel Sanchez (5-2) will square off with Georgie “Lionheart” Medina (3-1) at welterweight (170 pounds).
Sanchez of Mexico City is a member of Mexico’s top fight camp, Bonebreakers, and is looking for his third consecutive win in COMBATE GLOBAL action, while Medina, seeking his second straight win, is a native of Chicago, Ill. and a member of the famed fight team, VFS, led by head trainer, Mike Valle.
In preliminary bout action, undefeated Noah “Nasty” Lindsey (4-0) of Travelers Rest, S.C. will face Chris Renteria (3-2) of Tempe, Ariz. at lightweight.
Leading off the undercard will be a women’s atomweight (105 pounds) tilt between unbeaten Melissa Gomez (3-0) of Santiago, Chile and Katie “La Maquina Asesina” Perez (4-5) of Greensboro, N.C.
Additional information about Combate Global and its athletes can be found on www.CombateGlobal.com as well as on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter 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 television ratings that are superior 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 also partnered with CBS Sports to distribute Combate Global’s live shows in English in the U.S. on Paramount+. In 2022, the company partnered with Eurosport for live distribution in Spain, as well as with RMC Sport in France and, in 2023, Combate Global entered 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 garnered a new MMA audience with its World Cup-style, country vs. country-style 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.
