When John Castaneda captured a dominant, unanimous decision win over Cheyden Leialoha as part of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series, the general consensus was that “Sexi Mexi” was going to ride the pine until Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) made him an offer.
Sorry, he’s got bigger fish to fry.
Castaneda will instead return to Combate Americas to enter “Copa Combate,” the historic one-night, eight-man bantamweight mixed martial arts (MMA) tournament taking place on Sat., Nov. 11, 2017 in Cancun, Mexico, with a grand prize of $100,000 awaiting the winner.
“We are excited to welcome John Castaneda back to Combate Americas, where he has amassed the most wins of any fighter in our young, but fast-growing organization, and delivered some of the most memorable moments ever in La Jaula with his explosive style of fighting and vicious knockout power,” said Combate Americas CEO and UFC co-founder Campbell McLaren.
Castaneda (14-2) is no stranger to the Combate brand, having racked up six straight wins with four violent finishes inside La Jaula. That includes last May’s devastating technical knockout win over five-time UFC veteran Chris Beal.
The “Copa Combate” tournament will be separated into four brackets with the top four combatants earning seeds based on their respective world rankings, while quarterfinal opponents will be determined via lottery ball drawing.
The remaining fighters for this November’s tournament extravaganza, featuring athletes from various parts of Latin America, as well as Spain and the U.S., will be announced in the coming days, along with ticket on-sale dates and information.
For much more on Combate Americas click here.