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On Thur., Sept. 17 at 11p ET/8p PT, The Professional Wrestling Icon and Former MMA Star Will Call the MMA Fight Action
MIAMI – Sept. 15, 2015 – NBC UNIVERSO, the modern sports and entertainment cable channel for Latinos, today announced that Combate Americas, the first U.S. Hispanic Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sports franchise in history, is bringing former, four-time WWE champion and MMA star Alberto El Patron a.k.a. Alberto Del Rio on board to serve as a color commentator for its highly-anticipated “Road To The Championship” live MMA event series. The first event kicks-off on NBC UNIVERSO this Thur., Sept. 17 at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT from the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center in Las Vegas, Nev.
El Patron, whose real name is Jose Alberto Rodriguez, will call the action inside the Combate Americas cage, or “La Jaula,” this Thursdaynight’s, two-hour, live NBC UNIVERSO telecast.
“I am thrilled to be a part of Combate Americas and to bring MMA to a new group of fans – Hispanics,” said El Patron, who remains the only wrestler to win the WWE’s coveted Royal Rumble and Money in the Bank contests in the same year (2011).
“We are excited to have Alberto El Patron, one of the premier athletes and most charismatic personalities in the sport of professional wrestling, as well as a proven MMA competitor, with us on NBC UNIVERSO for this historic live fight series,” said Combate Americas CEO and UFC co-founder Campbell McLaren.
“As a premier Mexican figure in the world of sports entertainment,” continued McLaren, “Alberto is the consummate voice for Combate Americas, which was created to serve fans with an authentic Hispanic MMA product, on television and other media platforms around the world.”
The son of famed Luchador “Dos Caras,” El Patron, a native of San Luis Potosi, Mexico, who now resides in San Antonio, TX, is a former member of the Mexican national Greco-Roman wrestling team and a medalist at the Pan American Games.
During his four-year tenure with the WWE, El Patron tussled with a host of rival name competitors and champions include CM Punk, Rey Mysterio, Big Show, The Miz, Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger and Matt Hardy.
As an MMA fighter, El Patron holds a career record of 9-5, with all of his victories having come by way of (T)KO or submission.
In the main event for this Thursday’s fight on NBC UNIVERSO, the welterweight (170 pounds) showdown will feature fast-rising star Ozzie Alvarez (6-2) of Huntington Beach, Calif. who will square-off with undefeated, finisher Justin “The Tactician” Patterson (5-0) of Dallas, Texas.
In a 140 pound catchweight co-main event featuring two ferocious talents, John “Sexy Mexy” Castaneda (7-2) of Mankato, Minn. will battle former U.S. Marine Justin “The Therapist” Governale (5-2) of Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.
Also on the fight card that night will be Combate Americas reality series star and unbeaten professional boxer Ricky “El Gallero” Palacios (3-1) of Mission, Texas, who will face Benji “The Brawler” Gomez (4-4) of Ventura, Calif. in a bantamweight (135 pounds) matchup.
Urijah Faber-protégé Erick Sanchez (4-2) of Sacramento, Calif. will collide with Guatemala native “Ruthless” Rudy Morales (3-2) of Las Vegas at featherweight.
In a featured women’s strawweight (115 pounds) bout, Invicta FC veteran Nicdali “The Night Queen” Rivera-Calanoc (8-8) of Tulsa, Okla. will collide with power puncher Kyra Batara (2-3) of Las Vegas.
Unbeaten prospect Irvin Veloz (3-0) of Boca Raton, Fla. will meet fellow rising star Jay Pressley (4-1) of Milwaukee, Wis. in a 128 pound catchweight contest.
A three-bout preliminary card featuring several Las Vegas and Southern Calif. prospects will precede the live, five-bout on the NBC UNIVERSO telecast.
Doors at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center will open at 6 p.m. PT, and the first preliminary bout will begin at 7 p.m.
Priced from just $14.99, tickets for the Combate Americas “Road To The Championship” kick-off event, which will take place during Mexican Independence Day celebration week, are available for purchase by phone: 800-745-3000, and online at Ticketmaster.com.
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About NBC UNIVERSO:
NBC UNIVERSO (www.nbcuniverso.com) is a modern sports and entertainment cable channel for Latinos, bringing the world’s top sports franchises and edgy programming to more than 40 million households in the U.S. As one of the most widely available modern cable channels for U.S. Latinos, NBC UNIVERSO delivers a thrilling mix of exclusive sports action – including FIFA World Cup™, Liga MX, Premier League, NASCAR Mexico Series, NFL and The 2016 Rio Olympics – along with signature series, blockbuster movies, music, must-see live events and strategic acquisitions, on TV, online and mobile devices. NBC UNIVERSO is part of the NBCUniversal Hispanic Group, a division of NBCUniversal (www.nbcuniversal.com), one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation (www.comcastcorporation.com). To find the NBC UNIVERSO channel number in your area, please visit www.nbcuniverso.com/encuentralo.
About COMBATE AMERICAS:
Combate Americas, LLC. is the first U.S. Hispanic Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sports franchise in history, designed to build Latino fighting champions and serve Hispanic fans, one of the world's most avid groups of prize fighting enthusiasts. The Combate Americas franchise includes reality TV programming, live events and mobile programming. The company's CEO, Campbell McLaren, is universally recognized as the co-founder/co-creator of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). New York Magazine described McLaren as "the marketing genius behind the UFC" and Yahoo! Sports proclaimed that he "knows more about the sport than just about anyone in it today." With an unprecedented product and a blue-chip ownership and management team, Combate Americas is poised to break new ground and bring about a new era in world championship level MMA competition.
