By the time the year will have closed out, José Alday will have competed three times in 2019, all in headliners in his home of Tucson and tied with only Erick “Ghost Pepper” Gonzalez and Rafa Garcia for activity in Combate Americas. While Alday’s focus is on tonight’s fight with Joby Sanchez, he is also aware of the favorable position he’s been granted with several chances to compete in the calendar year.

“I don’t know what it is.  I really like it because it allows me to take care of my family.  I’m happy with Combate, they’ve given me a lot of opportunities.  I’ve been talking to some of my buddies who have fought two times and are looking to get that third one in.  Marcelo Rojo, a good buddy of mine who is here in Tucson with me right now, he’s going for his second one this year.  We all have families and goals and I’m just happy that they gave me the opportunity to fight so many times.”

Combate Americas has undergone plenty of changes in the last several months, with a new co-owner in Kate del Castillo and the recently announced jump into the pay-per-view market with the fight between Tito Ortiz and Alberto del Rio.  At the same time, Alday has grown and developed as a fighter.  As has now been documented, he was a virtual unknown when he shocked the veteran John Castaneda and later Gustavo Lopez to win the bantamweight title in the same year.  Along the way, he has changed as a fighter and an individual himself as he’s become a more mature athlete.

“In the last couple years, since I got back to the United States and signed with Combate I’ve been pretty active.  I’ve lost count but I think this is going to be my fifth headliner for them.  That’s a lot of fights for aa year and a half.  But I’m happy because I think I’ve grown as a person and athlete.  I’ve gone through highs.  I’ve gone through lows.  I think right now, I don’t know if people see it this way but I think I’m a pretty scary guy.  I’m a killer and I’m ready to fight anybody.  Anybody in this world, anybody in this division, even at 145 if they were to give me the opportunity. I believe it in myself, my skills, and my team.”

José Alday has a close eye on the bantamweight division and the belt currently around Gustavo Lopez, the fighter who wrested the belt from him back in March.  “El Pochito” has not been told that a victory would get him a rematch and a chance to regain the title in a rubber match with Lopez and he’s also mentally prepared himself for the possibility that Combate Americas could go with one of his friends and other competitors at 135 pounds.

“I feel I should be the number one contender.  I was just the  champ and although I came up short against Gustavo I had the belt and I think I should be up there.  But I wouldn’t be so upset if they gave my buddy Eduardo “El Pube” Alvarado the opportunity.  He’s been in the company awhile and picked up some important victories.  He’s there.  I know Marcelo “Pitbull” Rojo is there.  I’m not greedy either.  I respect the hustle and if Combate gives them the opportunity I wouldn’t be upset.”

The former champion also gave an update on one of the other storylines of his career.  Late in 2018, it seemed that a battle with Mexican MMA star Erik “Goyito” Perez was all but assured.  Instead, Perez recently announced a move to Bellator. José Alday discussed running into Perez since then and the mutual respect shared between the two.

“I was kind of upset that they didn’t come to terms.  I know a lot of things were said.  He got upset, I got upset.  But at the end of the day I talked to him at the Combate event Mexicali.  I told him I have no problem with him.  He told me he’s cool with me.  We need the competition.  We need the UFC.  We need Bellator.  We just need a lot of outlets for the fighters to go and get better.  Especially for Latin American fighters, we don’t get a lot of opportunities.  We have Combate Americas and LUX coming through in Mexico.”

Official Weigh-in | Peso Oficial
🇺🇸Joby Sánchez (135.4 lbs)
🇲🇽José Alday (135.9 lbs)#CombateTucson pic.twitter.com/4EVeRZgHfP

— Combate Global (@combateglobal) October 11, 2019

Outside of tonight’s action, Alday also has inside scoop on the recently announced battle between Tito Ortiz and Alberto Del Rio.  Specifically, he sees proof that “El Patron” is not going into an exhibition as many have speculated.  Alday also mentions that he’s more than ready to add to the pay-per-view festivities if possible in December.

“I think it’s a tough fight for Alberto.  I know he wanted a big fight.  He hasn’t fought in ten years and that’s something to keep in mind but he knows he can do it.  I think that’s the first victory is just knowing you can do it.  I know he’s working hard in Phoenix right now with my buddies at UKF gym and Javier Torres.  He’s making the sacrifices.  He’s leaving his family for weeks until his fight.  He’s doing everything to win this fight.  I think it’s a good thing, they’re trying to grow and try pay-per-view.  All I can do is hope for the best because this is my home.  If they’re successful, we’re all going to be successful.  I think that’s more than enough time for me to get ready to fight on that night.  If they knock on my door and offer some good money why not?”

The battle tonight is flying under the radar but it could well be one of Alday’s toughest matches to date.  Previously scheduled to face Andre Barquero, Alday is now facing a late replacement in Joby Sanchez who previously competed in the UFC after being awarded a contract through Dana White’s Contender Series. José Alday recognizes the big stage experience in favor of Sanchez, but is extremely motivated to send a message in his hometown of Tucson.

“This fight gives me more than the one I had previously.  He’s been in the UFC, he’s fought some of the best guys.  He’s fought contenders like Wilson Reis.  That’s a lot to say about Joby.  I think it’s just better for my career.  I’m ready.  I think his style doesn’t match up well with mine.  I think Joby made a huge mistake.  I think he shouldn’t have taken this fight.  I know he’s coming off a loss to Mark de la Rosa and Brandon Royal, but I’m not the guy he should have taken the fight against.”

José Alday takes on Joby Sanchez in the main event of Combate Tucson TONIGHT, live on Univision at 9pm PT.

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Former champion José “El Pochito” Alday (13-4-1) will be headlining a card in his home of Tucson, Arizona for the third time this year as he takes on promotional newcomer Andre Barquero.  Pochito had a break-out year in 2018, toppling long-time contender John Castaneda and winning the first championship in promotional history.  While he lost the belt to Gustavo Lopez in March, he bounced back in great form with a first round finish against Juan Pablo Gonzalez.  With Lopez defending the title last month, a win for Alday continues to build his case for a trilogy with the title on the line once again.

Andre Barquero (6-2) enters the promotion after putting together a six fight win-streak that was snapped in his last outing.  Fighting out of Athletic Advance in his native Costa Rica, Barquero has recorded a finish in five of his six victories.

In the co-main event, UFC and RIZIN veteran Anthony Birchak (15-6) will return to the promotion as he takes on Jose Calvo.  Birchak made his debut last October where he scored a first round finish in front of his hometown crowd in Tucson.  He also made an appearance in LFA in July where he posted another first round finish, this time by submission.

Jose “Puppy” Calvo, similar to Barquero, is from Costa Rica and goes into the fight coming off a loss that a snapped a six fight win-streak.  Calvo has several victories in the LUX Fight League promotion which is a major promotion in Mexico.  This is his second time fighting in Tucson, having fought at the last card Combate held in the area in June.

One preliminary fight has been announced in the bantamweight division with Guillermo “Memo” Torres (3-0) of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico taking Orlando Jimenez (2-0) of Phoenix.

More fights will be announced for the card in the coming weeks.

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A year ago, José Alday was flying under the radar in Combate Americas. Today, he is their first and only champion who will be looking to defend his title against Gustavo Lopez in a rematch of their epic battle last year. Alday spoke with Cageside Press about his career year, fighting Gustavo Lopez in a rematch over UFC veteran Erik “Goyito” Perez, and more.

You wouldn’t realize it now, but Alday hadn’t yet won a fight in Combate Americas when he shocked John Castaneda last April. On five days notice, he stunned the winningest fighter in the promotion in the main event of their inaugural show on Univision. The victory led to him being matched up several months later with Levy Marroquin for the inaugural bantamweight championship. Marroquin was forced out of the bout late into fight week, and Alday ended up overcoming a dangerous Gustavo Lopez to become the first champion in the history of the promotion.

On going from unknown to promotional star in just twelve months, Alday says:

“I feel like all I needed was that opportunity. I’ve been working hard. I turned pro at the end of 2013. I’ve been wanting these opportunities so I can provide for my family. I’m hoping in a few months to be able to tell everyone good news that I got a house from fighting. For me, it is still sometimes surreal. I hear the numbers that we’re pulling on Univision and DAZN and it amazes me. I did not expect to be here at this point a year ago. Before the Castaneda fight, I was just looking to fight two or three times and then be in position to fight for the title against some of these bigger name guys that I’ve now already beaten.”

In the last year, Combate Americas signed with a new TV partner in Univision as well as an exclusive English broadcast deal with streaming service DAZN. As one of the faces of the company, Alday now finds himself in TV spots for Cricket Wireless and even a commercial encouraging people to vote this past election season. This means that fans are also now familiar with his story; Alday was deported from the US to Mexico as a young man and MMA helped him to return and reunite with his family.

It is a new experience to have so many people now know his story know a part of your history, but Alday feels it is positive:

“I’m still learning. A year ago, I probably only had a few interviews and there wasn’t much attention on my fights. The only people who knew I was fighter were local here in Tucson or Hermosillo. Now I’m on the big screen. Every time there’s an event the Cricket commercial comes up and it’s awesome. I like it. Before I got deported, I wasn’t supposed to do much. I was illegal so I wasn’t able to go to a university, only a small college. It was difficult. For example, at some point, I was thinking about being a firefighter. But, you can’t be a firefighter if you’re not a citizen or a resident. So I had to keep my goals kind of small. What I want to do with my career is show people that, ‘hey, keep working hard even if you go back to Mexico and start from zero. It is possible. It’s all about that mindset and believing that you can do anything.’ To this day, I still have that white belt mentality. You can’t take your foot off the gas pedal. If you do, someone else will come in and take what’s yours and your goals and dreams. Especially in this cruel sport.”

Inside the cage, Alday knows he has a tall order ahead of him. His opponent, Gustavo Lopez, took the last fight on two days notice and pushed him to the limit. This time, Lopez has had a full training camp to prepare for their encounter.

“It’s going to be fun. I expect to do a lot differently as well. I’ve been training differently. Everyone says I was prepared for that camp but actually I had only one month of hard training. Leading up to that I was working long hours in the summer in Arizona. It isn’t easy doing landscaping either. I expect him to be his best. I want to beat the best Gustavo Lopez. I know what he wants to do. He knows what I want to do. That’s the sweet science of MMA: it’s about who’s going to get better and impose their game plan this time. I expect to finish what I started and put on a good show for everyone watching internationally, nationally, and right here in my home in Tucson.”

Addressing the elephant in the room, what happened to the expected match-up with former UFC star Erik “Goyito” Perez? Alday clarifies, it had nothing to do with his side.

“All I can say is it’s not because of me.  I’ve been asking for that fight as well. I also thought he was next. I guess Combate has another plan or their side is not understanding each other. It’s not that I didn’t want to fight him. A lot of people are out there saying I’m scared and I think that’s silly. A fight is a fight and I’m not scared of anybody.”

Of course, the reason for so much talk about the fight, outside of Goyito’s name recognition, is the fact that Perez infamously took the mic in his luchador mask after his last fight and threatened to retire if not granted a title shot. On watching the exchange unfold on television, Alday said “I thought it was a bad idea. They had to have planned it in the back. I think they tried to make it look serious but it came off very wrong. It looked very set up.”

José Alday says he is still open to fighting Perez if it materializes later, but for now, he is focused on March 29 where he will be fighting at home as he looks to defend his title against Lopez.

“It’s pretty exciting. I have people coming from Mexico and here in Tucson, and a lot of people I haven’t seen in a long time. I’ve been back here in the United States for a year and a half but I’ve been training, working, sweating, and bleeding so I haven’t had time to go hang around with old friends and acquaintances. It’ll be nice to see a lot of people that I haven’t seen in years. I think we’re going to sell this out before the event comes.”

José Alday will defend his bantamweight title against Gustavo Lopez on March 29 at the Casino del Sol in Tucson, Arizona, live on Univision and DAZN at 7 pt.

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