First U.S. Hispanic MMA franchise Brings Live Televised “Road To The Championship” Fight Series to Los Angeles

Combate Americas, the first-ever U.S. Hispanic mixed martial arts sports promotion, has announced it will make its debut in Los Angeles, CA. with a nine-bout fight card at Florentine Gardens, live on NBC UNIVERSO on Wednesday, Dec. 16.

“This event represents Combate Americas coming of age, and presenting a lineup that is second to none with a collection of the brightest up-and-coming Hispanic fighters in the U.S.,” said UFC co-creator and founder of Combate Americas Campbell McLaren.

In the bantamweight main event of the live, four-fight telecast on NBC Universo, John “Sexy Mexy” Castaneda will square off against Federico “Kiko” Lopez.

The 23-year-old Castaneda (8-2), from Mankato, MN., earned his third consecutive victory in the form of a unanimous decision over Justin Governale in the Combate Americas cage.

His opponent Lopez (10-5), a Team Quest product, is riding a five fight win streak, with four of those victories having come by way of either (T)KO or submission.

In the bantamweight co-main event, Combate Americas reality television series star and power puncher Ricky “El Gallero” Palacios will square off with dangerous scrapper Anthony Paredes.

Palacios (5-1), a 28-year-old who also boasts an unblemished professional boxing record of 2-0-1, is coming of an impressive first round headkick knockout over Benji Gomez at the “Combate Americas: Road To The Championship” in September. The the 26-year-old Paredes, another member of Team Quest, is looking to return to the win column after suffering a loss in to Alfred Khashakyan in July. This setback snapped his two-fight win streak.

In a featured women’s atomweight attraction on the live telecast, Kyra “Mogwai” Batara will collide with “Lightning Liz McCarthy.

Fighting out of Las Vegas, Batara (3-3) is a 21-year-old protégé of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu guru Eddie Bravo. During the “Combate Americas: Road To The Championship,” Batara pulled off the upset win with unanimous decision over Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc, a former world championship challenger with five times as many professional bouts as Batara.

The 29-year-old McCarthy (2-3), also fighting out of Las Vegas, is a four-time veteran of Invicta FC. Prior to her professional debut, where fans saw her she defeat Jessica Philippus by way of first round TKO, McCarthy amassed a perfect, 6-0 record as an amateur.

The complete, five-bout preliminary card for “Combate Americas: Road To The Championship Hollywood” will be announced soon.

Doors at Florentine Gardens open at 5 p.m. PT for the event, and the first preliminary bout will begin at 6 p.m.