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COMBATE GLOBAL ANNOUNCES THE RETURN OF MEXICAN LIGHTWEIGHT SENSATION CRISTIAN “PUAS” PEREZ ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, LIVE ON PARAMOUNT+

By Mike Johnson on 11/29/2023 11:00 AM

COMBATE GLOBAL ANNOUNCES THE RETURN OF
MEXICAN LIGHTWEIGHT SENSATION CRISTIAN “PUAS” PEREZ
ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, LIVE ON PARAMOUNT+
 
“PUAS” FACES OFF WITH COLOMBIAN KNOCKOUT ARTIST,
SEBASTIAN “PITBULL” PIEDRAHITA
IN THE FIVE-BOUT CARD MAIN EVENT

 
EVENT WILL BE THE FIRST OF FOUR COMBATE GLOBAL LIVE FIGHT CARDS TAKING PLACE IN DECEMBER
 
COMBATE GLOBAL PRE-SHOW BEGINS AT 8:00 P.M. ET THIS SATURDAY;
FIRST PRELIMINARY BOUT BEGINS AT 8:30 P.M.

MIAMI – November 29, 2023 – COMBATE GLOBAL today announced the return of Mexican lightweight (155 pounds) superstar, Cristian “Puas” Perez (12-1), who will square off with Colombian finisher Sebastian “Pitbull” Piedrahita, in the main event of a stacked, five-bout Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight card in Miami on Saturday, Dec. 2, live on Paramount+.
 
The live Paramount+ stream of COMBATE GLOBAL’s event will begin with a 30-minute pre-show, hosted by Jimmy Smith and Rodolfo Roman at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT, and will continue with the first preliminary card bout at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT.
 
The event will be the first of four COMBATE GLOBAL live fight cards that will take place in December to close out what has been the Hispanic-focused MMA organization’s best year to date.
 
Recently re-signed to a new, exclusive, multi-fight promotional agreement with COMBATE GLOBAL, the 24-year-old Puas of Mexicali, B.C. will is seeking his fifth consecutive victory after obliterating former world champion Bruno “Aquiles” Cannetti in the first round (1:26) of battle with a barrage of punches on June 18.
 
To date, Puas, who made his professional debut under the promotion of COMBATE GLOBAL as a 20-year-old in 2019 and who has been competing for the Hispanic-focused promotion since then, has notched 75 percent of his professional career wins by way of (T)KO or submission.
 
The 31-year-old Piedrahita of Medellin holds a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and, to date, has earned a spectacular 91 percent of his wins via (T)KO or submission.
 
Piedrahita, a newcomer to the ranks of COMBATE GLOBAL, secured his career-best victory, thus far, in his last effort by scoring a fourth round (:15) TKO (strikes) on Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) veteran Alexander “Rolo” Torres on July 8.
 
In a featured women’s atomweight (105 pounds) contest, Ana “La Guerrera” Palacios (7-2-1) will collide with undefeated Anastasia Nikolakakos (4-0).
 
Hailing from Mexico City, Mexico where she trains with one of her country’s finest MMA teams, Bonebreakers, the 25-year-old Palacios, has earned 70 percent of her wins via (T)KO or submission and is regarded as one of the best 105-pound competitors in the world.
 
Palacios is looking to rebound from a unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Japan’s Chihiro Sawada on May 13.  Prior to the loss, Palacios was in the midst of a five-fight win streak and had only sustained one career defeat while fighting above her weight class.
 
Nikolakakos is a 34-year-old resident of Toronto, Canada and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt, making her COMBATE GLOBAL promotional debut.
 
Prior to turning professional in 2017, Nikolakakos was unbeaten (3-0) as an amateur competitor.
 
In a second featured fight on the card, flyweight (125 pounds) sensation Ernesto “The Stallion” Ibarra (8-1) will collide with knockout artist Javier Valdebenito (5-3) at the 125-pound limit.
 
The 27-year-old Ibarra of Ensenada, B.C., Mexico is riding a three-fight win streak after defeating Martin Davila in La Jaula on April 28. 
 
Ibarra is a member of Team Blacxicans that has produced the likes of Puas and undefeated, fellow COMBATE GLOBAL athlete, Ramiro “El Cachanilla” Jimenez.
 
At just 20 years of age, Valdebenito has already put eight professional fights under his belt after a busy 2022 in which he competed six times.
 
A member of Team Jaula Bahamondes, the native camp of MMA star and COMBATE GLOBAL veteran Ignacio “Nacho” Bahamondes, Valdebenito has earned 80 percent of his career wins by way of (T)KO.
 
In preliminary bout action, a second women’s atomweight affair will see Kayla “Kayrock” Hracho (5-4) of Coconut Creek, Fla. face off with Andrea “Kali” Meneses (5-1) of Gava, Spain.
 
Leading off the undercard will be a lightweight clash between unbeaten Michel Martinez (2-0) of Tudela, Spain and Carlo “El Bambino” Ricci (3-2) of Caracas, Venezuela.
 
Additional information about COMBATE GLOBAL and its athletes can be found on www.CombateGlobal.com as well as on FacebookInstagramTwitter and YouTube.
 

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About Combate Global
Combate Global is the premier Hispanic Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sports franchise that is rapidly becoming the number two sport after soccer for Spanish speaking fans worldwide, and that consistently garners television ratings that are superior to those of other major, longer established sports television properties. It is the only MMA property regularly airing on broadcast television in the U.S. (Univision) and the only MMA property owned, in part, by a major Hispanic media company, as a result of TelevisaUnivision purchasing a significant equity stake in Combate Global in 2021.  In 2021, the company also partnered with CBS Sports to distribute Combate Global’s live shows in English in the U.S. on Paramount+.  In 2022, the company partnered with Eurosport for live distribution in Spain, as well as with RMC Sport in France and, in 2023,  Combate Global entered into a multi-year partnership with global entertainment powerhouse, IMG, for media rights representation worldwide.  The company’s programming is available in over 70 countries in Europe, Africa and elsewhere globally.
 
Nielsen research indicates that an astounding 91 percent of Combate Global viewers in the U.S. are not regular viewers of other MMA content, demonstrating that Combate Global has garnered a new MMA audience with its World Cup-style, country vs. country-style competition.  
 
Combate Global CEO Campbell McLaren, also the co-founder and creator of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), has been described by New York Magazine as "the marketing genius behind the UFC,” while Yahoo Sports has said he "knows more about the sport than just about anyone in it today."  Under his direction, the growth of Combate Americas’ television footprint and worldwide audience triggered a re-branding in 2021 to Combate Global.
 
 
About Paramount+
Paramount+, a direct-to-consumer digital subscription video on-demand and live streaming service, combines live sports, breaking news and a mountain of entertainment. The premium streaming service features an expansive library of original series, hit shows and popular movies across every genre from world-renowned brands and production studios, including BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and the Smithsonian Channel. The service is also the streaming home to unmatched sports programming, including every CBS Sports event, from golf to football to basketball and more, plus exclusive streaming rights for major sports properties, including some of the world’s biggest and most popular soccer leagues. Paramount+ also enables subscribers to stream local CBS stations live across the U.S. in addition to the ability to stream CBSN for 24/7 news, CBS Sports HQ for sports news and analysis.
 
For more information about Paramount+, please visit www.paramountplus.com and follow @ParamountPlus on social platforms.