Pablo Sabori (left) and Adrian Guzman (right) will represent Mexico and the U.S., respectively, when the two explosive lightweights face off in the live televised, ‘Combate Americas: Mexico vs. USA’ main event at Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif. on Friday, Feb. 28. Photo credit: Scott Hirano/Combate Americas, LLC.
From Combate Americas – NEW YORK – January 23, 2019 – Combate Americas today announced its return to Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif. with a new installment of its popular ‘Mexico vs. USA’ themed Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) series on Friday, Feb. 28, live on television in the U.S. in Spanish on both Univision (12 a.m. ET/PT) and TUDN USA (12 a.m. ET/9 p.m. PT), and in English on AXS TV (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT), and in Mexico on Televisa Canal 5 (11 p.m. local time).
In the lightweight (155 pounds) main event, Adrian Guzman (6-1), representing the U.S., will face off with Mexican rival and fellow explosive striker, Pablo “El Gallo Negro” Sabori (9-6).
Priced from $22, tickets for the ‘Combate Americas: Mexico vs. USA’ event at Save Mart Center go on sale tomorrow, Friday, Jan. 24 at 12 p.m. PT at Ticketmaster.com.
“We are back in Fresno, one of our favorite cities, with the ongoing and epic rivalry between young rising stars from Mexico and the U.S.,” said Combate Americas CEO Campbell McLaren.
Fighting out of Parlier, Calif., the 25-year-old Guzman’s return to La Jaula, the Combate Americas competition cage, comes three months after his last performance – a barnburner main event against Ramirez that saw Guzman earn a unanimous decision after three thrilling rounds.
A winner of four of his six career victories by way of (T)KO or submission, Guzman will hunt for his third straight win.
The 27-year-old Sabori of Tijuana, B.C. will re-enter La Jaula just over one year after his memorable, all-out slugfest at the same arena, and split decision defeat at the hands of Urijah Faber campmate Anthony “The Shark” Avila.
Prior to the war with Avila, Sabori, a four-time veteran of Combate Americas action, earned a unanimous decision over Puerto Rico’s Michael Irizarry, a bout that also took place at Save Mart Center.
In one of two featured ‘Mexico vs. USA’ bouts announced today, Ivan “Choko” Castillo (17-13) of Ensenada, B.C. will battle Danny “The Realist” Ramirez (6-6) of Dorado Hills, Calif. at lightweight.
In the second fight announced today, unbeaten Carlos Reyes (1-0) of Tijuana will face rising star Paul Elizondo (3-1) of Fresno in a flyweight (125 pounds) attraction.
A featured women’s flyweight contest will see former world champion Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Frausto (14-6) of Madera, Calif. square off with fellow knockout artist Karla Benitez (17-15-1, 1 NC) of Barcelona, Spain via San Fernando De Apure, Venezuela.
Additional bouts for the Combate Americas event will be announced soon.
Doors at Save Mart Center will open at 6 p.m. local time for the Combate Americas event, and the first preliminary bout will begin at 7 p.m.
