Combate Americas will return to Fresno on February 22 with a catchweight main event between Pablo Sabori and Anthony Avila.
Combate Americas has announced their second event of 2019 with a return to Fresno, California, on Friday, February 22, at the Save Mart Center. Billed as Mexico vs. USA, the main event will feature a catchweight bout at 150 pounds featuring Pablo “El Gallo Negro” Sabori against Northern California product Anthony “The Shark” Avila.
Sabori (9-5) has fought several times under the Combate banner since making his promotional debut in 2017. In 2018, he came up short in a bid to be a part of the Copa Combate tournament when he lost his qualifying match against eventual finalist Alejandro Flores. Sabori was granted an alternate bout at the tournament last December and took a victory over Michael Irizarry Ortiz on the undercard.
Avila (17-5) trains out of Team Alpha Male in Sacramento and made his debut with Combate last May when he defeated Jose Luis Verdugo in a fight that was elevated to the main event after last-minute changes were made to the card. In November, Avila also defeated Marcello Cassero in an appearance for Tachi Palace Fights.
Also announced on the card is the return of former Bellator strawweight champion Zoila Frausto. A veteran of the sport since 2009, Frausto (13-5) has fought around the world against the likes of Miesha Tate and Jessica Eye. In 2010, when Bellator was still in its infancy, Frausto won the Season 3 strawweight tournament and became the only strawweight champion they’ve ever had by defeating Japanese star Megumi Fujii. After a 0-4 run in Invicta that saw her face Eye, Jennifer Maia, and Vanessa Porto, Frausto returned to the win column when she faced current Combate flyweight Corina Herrera. Frausto will be making her MMA return after nearly three years, having only competed in kickboxing since then.
Frausto will have personal motivation as she faces Jaimee “Queenie” Nievera. Nievera (7-4) defeated Frausto’s sister, Stephanie, back in 2016 by TKO. A Bellator veteran herself, Nievera most recently fought against Antonina Shevchenko at Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series where she came up short in a bid to earn a UFC contract. The fight with Frausto will be Nievera’s first since June 2018 after an injury pulled her out of a fight with then-LFA champion Sabina Mazo.
Several more undercard bouts are expected to be announced within the coming weeks. The event will be simulcast in Spanish on Univision and in English on the streaming service DAZN.
Current Combate Americas: Mexico vs. USA fight card:
Catchweight (150 lbs) Main Event:
Pablo Sabori vs. Anthony Avila
Flyweight Co-Main Event:
Zoila Frausto vs. Jaimee Nievera
Preliminary Bout Card:
Super Lightweight: Daniel Rodriguez vs. Evan Solorio
Strawweight: Sheila Padilla vs. Charisa Sigala
Bantamweight: Hector Fajardo vs. Jose Avalos
Featherweight: Emilio Horta vs. Steven Bollinger
