One-round MMA fights will determine Copa Combate qualifiers
Combate Americas is ensuring the intensity of a mixed martial arts fight by staging a pair of one-round qualifying featherweight bouts for its coming Copa Combate tournament.
The qualifying event, televised by Univision Deportes, will take place Sept. 28 at the Pyramid in Long Beach, Combate Americas announced Thursday.
“These one-round qualifier fights are symbolic of what Combate Americas represents — ‘Mucha Mas Accion,’ or ‘Much More Action,’” Combate Americas Chief Executive Campbell McLaren said in a statement.
“Faster-paced fights in a shorter time frame create the most electrifying platform in the sport and, with the opportunity to represent your country in the Copa Combate $100,000 grand-prize tournament … the intensity will be at an all-new high.”
The qualifiers will match Redondo Beach’s Erick Gonzalez (8-2) vs. Andres Quintana (14-2) of New Mexico in the U.S. portion. The second five-minute fight will feature Mexico’s Pablo Sabori (8-4) against Alejandro Flores (12-1).
Tickets priced from $30 go on sale at noon Thursday. Preliminaries in a full undercard will begin at 7 p.m., with the main card starting at 9.
The winners of the one-round qualifying bouts will advance to November’s Copa Combate, a one-night, eight-man tournament that will feature one-round quarterfinals and semifinals and finals scheduled for three rounds.
That event is being eyed for Southern California after last year’s version, with bantamweights, was staged in Cancun, Mexico.
Twitter: @latimespugmire
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