The bracket is set for the Copa Combate 2018 as Combate Americas puts on their one-night $100,000 tournament on December 7 in Fresno, California.
On Friday, Combate Americas announced the brackets for their special one-night tournament: The Copa Combate on December 7 in Fresno, California. Eight fighters, representing eight different countries throughout Latin America and the United States will take part with the winner taking the $100,000 grand prize.
In an hour-long special on Friday night, the company aired a preview of the event in which they revealed the brackets. Tournament favorite Andres “Bullet” Quintana (15-2) will be representing the United States, and is set to face Peru’s Marlon “Deriko Siete” Gonzalez (13-3-2-1.) Quintana is a veteran of the company with five victories under their banner and is considered by many to be the best featherweight in the promotion. Gonzalez, of Peru, was discovered at a try-out in South America by the company and will be making his debut with the promotion.
On the same side of the bracket, new signee Gaston “Tonga” Reyno (8-2) of Uruguay will face Bruno “Aquiles” Cannetti (7-5) of Argentina. Reyno made a successful Combate Americas debut back in September in a one-round thriller against Carlos Ochoa after which it was announced he would be given a spot in the tournament. Cannetti will be making his promotional debut on a three fight win-streak that includes two first round finishes.
On the opposite side of the bracket, Mexico’s Alejandro “El Gallito” Flores (6-1) will face undefeated Colombian Jhon “Ronin” Bedoya (6-0.) Flores has five victories under the Combate Americas banner including a victory in the qualifier in September over Pablo Sabori. Bedoya will be fighting outside of Colombia for the first time in the tournament after a career that has seen him notch three finishes in six fights.
Rounding out the competition will be the oldest fighter in the tournament: Pablo “El Gallo” Villaseca, (13-4) of Chile against the youngest fighter in the tournament: Spain’s Zebenzui “El Niño Roca” Ruiz (7-2.) Villaseca enters the tournament as one of the most experienced fighters in the competition with nearly half of his victories coming by submission. Ruiz by comparison has recorded a finish in six of his seven victories as well as having already been tested in a 25 minute contest in his young career.
Two alternate bouts have also been announced. Michael Irizarry (9-2) of Puerto Rico will face Pablo “El Gallo Negro” Sabori (8-5) of Mexico. Two Las Vegas locals, Joey “El Cazador” Ruquet (6-1) and “Ruthless” Rudy Morales (5-6) will square off in the second alternate bout. Notably, last year’s winner Levy Marroquin won the tournament as an alternate after two fighters were removed from the competition after missing weight.
The tournament will follow a special set of rules for each stage of the tournament.
Quarterfinals: 1 x 5 minute round with no elbows allowed.
Seminfinals: 3 x 3 minute rounds with no elbows allowed.
Final: Standard 3 x 5 minute rounds with elbows allowed.
Just as last year’s tournament, the single round in the first stage and three minute rounds in the semifinals serve the dual purpose of putting a sense of urgency to initiate the action while not exhausting the fighters early by putting them in standard fifteen minute contests before the final. Also, the lack of elbows is meant to help prevent fighters from getting cut and not being able to continue in the tournament even if they win.
The event will be simulcast on Univision in Spanish and stream in English on the DAZN app from the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California. Besides the tournament bouts, there will be a co-main event before the tournament final as well as several undercard fights on the prelims.
The Copa Combate undercard is as follows:
Women’s Strawweight Co-Main Event:
Maria Buzaglo vs Corina Herrera
Undercard:
Michael Irizarry vs Pablo Sabori (Featherweight Bout)
Joey Ruquet vs Rudy Morales (Featherweight Bout)
Evan “Pitbull” Solorio vs Jimmy “Mamba” Molina (Welterweight Bout)
Albert Gonzales vs James Porter (Middleweight Bout)
