Campbell McLaren, John Castaneda talk $100k Copa Combate tournament

Former UFC executive and Combate Americas CEO Campbell McLaren is banking on national pride to fuel Friday’s Copa Combate tournament.

Fighters from seven different countries – all but one Spanish-speaking – will face off in a one-night tournament for $100,000. McLaren thinks of it as MMA’s answer to the World Cup and hopes the same rabid passions are stirred for the combatants.

“You’re bringing in a fighter to represent an entire country – in addition to wanting the cash,” McLaren told MMAjunkie Radio. “$100,000 is a real first prize.”

The event, “Combate Americas: Copa Combate,” takes place Saturday at Grand Oasis Cancun in Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Preliminary card fights stream live on NBCSports.com before main card fights on NBCSN.

McLaren’s prize remains the Latin American market for MMA. He boasts his promotion “continues to demolish” the ratings of industry juggernaut UFC in Mexico and doubles the industry-leader’s numbers in Spain.

Combate recently linked up with Telemundo to air Saturday’s tournament, which McLaren expects will provide another boost in recognition.

Conceiving tomorrow’s event, McLaren borrowed from a previous project he worked on, “Iron Ring,” to bring more excitement to the action. The short-lived show on BET featured an elimination tournament where contestants got one five-minute round to advance from the qualifying round.

“There may not be a lot of strategy involved in a five-minute round, but there’s a heck of a lot of action involved in a five-minute round, which is a heck of a way to kick off the tournament,” he said.

The quarterfinal and semifinal rounds feature three three-minute rounds, while the final features three, five-minute rounds. Elbows are only permitted during the championship final to minimize the potential damage rising fighters take.

Copa Combates participant John Castaneda (14-2), who faces Kevin Moreyra (3-1) in the elimination round, has a survival strategy centered around the fighters he considers to be the toughest threats.

“There’s no way to prepare for so many different styles, so I’ve done my own research, my coach has done his research, and we’ve broken it down to two main fighters – two of the biggest threats,” he said. “I’m implementing my camp around those two styles.”

If he gets those unnamed opponents, he’ll be more than ready. And he’s not sweating the others, apparently.

Castaneda doesn’t consider himself a tournament kind of guy. It hasn’t been on his competitive bucket list. But the chance to be a part of a historical event – and bank a sweet paycheck – is something he can’t pass up.

For more on “Combate Americas: Copa Combate,” check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.