Forbes: Combate Americas positioned to rival UFC In Mexico

Forbes contributor Matt Connolly argues that with its new television partner and famous president, the Hispanic-centric, Campbell-McLaren founded Combate Americas will be positioned to rival the Campbell-McLaren cofounded UFC. The head to head competition will not be worldwide of course, but rather will center on Mexico, believed to be one of mixed martial arts’ most promising international markets.

The two deals that Connolly identifies as being central to the elevation of Combate Americas are the hiring of Alberto Rodriguez as president and a television deal with Azteca, the second largest mass media company in Mexico. Rodriguez is a former PRIDE FC competitor best known as WWE superstar Albert Del Rio, now nicknamed, accurately, El Presidente or “The President.”

Combate Americas will begin airing in Mexico in January, and will feauture monthly fight cards. There will also be a weekly program, Combate Americas Azteca, focusing on highlights from past events. The weekly program debuts Thursday in the USA and Friday Mexico following Liga MX (Mexico’s top soccer league). It is meant to play a role similar to what TUF accomplished – educate fans who love MMA, but don’t know it yet. As yet, boxing still dominates the combat sports scene in Mexico.

Some people [in Mexico], they’re still not familiar with what MMA is, but we’re going to take care of that, said Rodriguez. We’re going to instruct the people on what MMA is about.

Like the iconic TUF fight between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar that saved mixed martial arts, a huge burden rests on the fighters, but Combate Americas has been aggressively scouting for talent for years.

The talent here is now ready to be discovered, said McLaren. I’ve been doing Combate for four years, watching this talent … and it’s really ready now.

But it takes more than talent to put asses in seats, or extremos en sillas, where ever you are.

I need to spend more time with these guys to help them develop that show business talent, said Rodriguez. We don’t need you just to be a fighter. We want you to be a superstar.

Next year you’re going to see the results of all that we’ve put together,” said McLaren. “A live event every month, our first pay-per-view, a weekly TV show in the U.S., a weekly TV show in Mexico, of course continuing our great relationship with (UFC) Fight Pass.

“Mexico may be as important a market as the U.S. is for us. Clearly, this is a Hispanic promotion, so this is home. This is Mecca. To us, it’s not a foreign country.