DAZN AND COMBATE AMERICAS (MMA) SIGN LANDMARK MULTIYEAR DISTRIBUTION DEAL IN U.S. AND CANADA
First Fight: Marroquin vs. Alday Bantamweight World Championship Bout on Friday, Sept. 14
Gilbert Melendez, Julianna Peña and Max Bretos to Call the Action on DAZN
NEW YORK, Sept. 13, 2018 – DAZN, the live and on-demand sports streaming platform, today announced a landmark, multiyear rights agreement with Combate Americas, the premier Hispanic Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sports franchise. The deal will bring a minimum of 13 fight nights per year to DAZN.
Beginning with this weekend's card headlined by Levy Marroquin vs. Jose "Pochito" Alday, DAZN will be the exclusive home of Combate Americas' English-language broadcasts in the United States and Canada. The Marroquin vs. Alday bout will stream live from Phoenix on DAZN at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on Friday, Sept. 14.
Calling the action inside "La Jaula" – the Combate Americas cage – will be MMA superstars Gilbert "El Niño" Melendez and Julianna "The Venezuelan Vixen" Peña, alongside play-by-play announcer Max Bretos.
Combate Americas is a fast-rising MMA organization known for its action-packed fights and growing audience within the sport. This monumental deal will bring Combate Americas to English-language viewers for the first time.
"We are thrilled to be in partnership with an innovative and global entertainment leader like DAZN, and to be able to showcase the fast-paced, aggressive and in-your-face style of fighting that Combate Americas offers and that, 25 years after I launched the UFC, has re-defined MMA as ‘Mucha Mas Accion,'" said Campbell McLaren, Combate Americas CEO.
"We continue to break new ground in this sports industry, and this deal speaks directly to our pursuit of reaching new heights."
"Chapter one of DAZN's entrance into the U.S. market is focused on combat sports," said Joseph Markowski, DAZN SVP, North America. "And with 80 percent of Combate Americas' fights ending in a stoppage, we are excited to bring that type of action to fight fans."
Following the announcement of deals across Matchroom Boxing, Bellator MMA, and the World Boxing Super Series, the Combate Americas deal puts the number of fight nights per year on DAZN at 80+.
The winner of the bantamweight (135 lbs.) matchup between Marroquin, who hails from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico and Alday of Tucson, Ariz. by way of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, will be crowned the first Mexican MMA world champion in history as well as the first world champion in Combate Americas' history.
Fans can sign up for DAZN for only $9.99 per month by registering at DAZN.com or by downloading the DAZN app on a wide range of connected devices, including smart TVs, PCs, smartphones, tablets, and game consoles. For more information, fans can follow DAZN's U.S. social channels: @DAZNUSA on Facebook, @DAZN_USA for Twitter, and DAZN_USA for Instagram.
*Cards subject to change.
ABOUT DAZN
DAZN is a global live and on-demand sports streaming service created by fans, for fans, that is leading the charge to provide access to sports anytime, anywhere. DAZN guarantees no long-term contract, no bundles, just one affordable price for access to all of the service’s sports on connected devices including Smart TVs, smartphones, tablets and games consoles. DAZN is currently available in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Japan, Canada, and Italy, and just launched for $9.99 a month in the U.S. – where it is set to become a must-have for fight fans, with 80+ fight nights already lined up from Matchroom Boxing, Bellator MMA, the World Boxing Super Series, and Combate Americas.
ABOUT COMBATE AMERICAS
Combate Americas is the premier Hispanic Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sports franchise, rapidly becoming the number two sport, after soccer, for sports fans worldwide. 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.
Source: Combate Americas