Campbell McLaren
Combate Global Announces Bonus Structure for Vaccinated Competitors
Expect more finishes and less fight cancelations at Combate Global. Why? Because, there’s a new incentive for fully vaccinated fighters that perform well on fight night.
This week, the promotion announced that fight camps that are fully vaccinated will be able to earn finish bonuses for upcoming events. Combate Global Senior Vice President Mike Afromowitz made the announcement on social media last Wednesday, letting fans know that the fight of the night bonuses will be known as, “ Señor Campbell’s verdict,” after Combate Global CEO and co-founder of the UFC, Campbell McLaren.
Winner’s of the bonus receive $1000 dollars in addition to their fight purse. Being fully vaccinated benefits the competitor and their camp on fight week too as the protocols seem different for those unvaccinated. A memo obtained by MMA Junkie lists the eligibility for the bonus as well as the differences in protocol on the week heading into fight night.
This Friday’s seven bout card is headlined by Ricky Bandejas versus Kevin Cordero, Bandejas made his Combate Global debut in August where he won via unanimous decision against Terry Bartholomew. This is Cordero’s Combate Global debut but he comes into the promotion with a five-fight win streak.
With the news out about the bonuses, there could be differences in action on fight night but the pacing and format of Combate Global has always been different from what fight fans are used to. They have already held Country vs. Country events as well as one-night single elimination tournaments.
McLaren shared Afromowitz’s post saying, “Let me get this straight. You have to be fully vaxed [sic] to get the bonus? That’s going against the industry trend.”
Let me get this straight. You have to be fully vaxed to get the bonus? That’s going against the industry trend. @combateglobal https://t.co/Mbn7TL8gNx
— Campbell McLaren (@campbellcombate) September 1, 2021
Considering how McLaren got into the fight business, when the thought of martial artists fighting in a cage for money was considered taboo, going against the trend is nothing new to him. However, the trend he is referencing is the amount of fights across the sport that have been postponed or canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has changed the way events are held now.
Live coverage from Miami, Fla will begin with a Paramount+ Combate Global pre-show at 10:30 p.m. ET/9:30 p.m. CT, and will continue with the live fight action, beginning at 11:00 p.m. ET/10:00 p.m. CT.
