NEW YORK — COMBATE GLOBAL wasted no time making a statement on its new U.S. television partner’s platforms, delivering more than 500,000 total live viewers and recording the largest aggregate global live television audience reach in company history.
The historic broadcast originated from EstrellaTV studios in Burbank, California on Thursday, February 26, beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. CT.
The event marked the promotion’s live debut on EstrellaTV, the multiplatform Spanish-language network owned by MediaCo Holding Inc. (Nasdaq: MDIA). In addition to the linear television broadcast, the event streamed live across EstrellaTV’s digital platforms, aired in Spanish on COMBATE GLOBAL’s Samsung TV Plus channel in the U.S. and Mexico, streamed worldwide in Spanish on the promotion’s YouTube channel, and was broadcast globally in English on FIGHTTIPS — the YouTube platform operated by renowned MMA content creator Shane Fazen.
Outperforming the Competition
According to company data, U.S. viewership for EstrellaTV’s live season premiere significantly outperformed all segments of FOX Deportes’ live professional soccer coverage in the same time slot.
The EstrellaTV multiplatform broadcast alone generated an estimated reach exceeding 100,000 households and video sessions.
EstrellaTV executives praised the early success.
“On nearly all streaming platforms, it was the leading content for the 24-hour window and, as a whole, it was the number one content for EstrellaTV’s FAST channel. This is a great start for building an audience with live sports.”, said Rene Santaella, Chief Operating Officer, MediaCo.
“Live sports are a powerful engine for audience growth and premium sponsorship demand,” said Brian Fisher, Chief Revenue Officer, MediaCo. “Combate Global gives brands authentic, cross-platform scale across linear, FAST, and digital creating deeper integrations that drive real revenue growth.”
COMBATE GLOBAL CEO Campbell McLaren celebrated the milestone moment.
“It was Mucha Más Acción everywhere on Thursday night,” said COMBATE GLOBAL CEO Campbell McLaren, commenting on the unprecedented reach for his company’s live event series. “The fights were phenomenal, our live audience reach was greater than ever and our new venue provides fans with a one-of-a-kind experience on-site.”
Addressing the YouTube Streaming Issue
Despite the strong performance, the company acknowledged technical issues affecting its YouTube streams, citing venue bandwidth limitations that caused intermittent interruptions.
“We understand fans experienced a problem with our live YouTube feed, causing repeated interruptions while they were streaming the show, and we want to let everyone know that we have fully corrected the issue, which was due to the bandwidth in our venue. This issue will not happen again during our live event season,” said McLaren and Fazen in a joint statement.
Jawy Mendez Headlines Action-Packed Night
The five-fight card delivered high-octane action inside the cage. The main event featured the return of Mexican television personality and MMA competitor Jawy Mendez, often dubbed “The Mexican Jake Paul.”
Mendez secured his second professional victory with a second-round TKO over Puerto Rican rival John “El Sicario” Padron, giving fans both spectacle and substance in the headline bout.
A New Era at EstrellaTV Studios
All 19 remaining COMBATE GLOBAL live events scheduled for 2026 will take place inside EstrellaTV’s custom-designed Burbank studio. The venue features state-of-the-art wraparound television screens, a dramatic tunnel entrance for fighters, premium overhead lighting, and arena-style bleacher seating for a live audience.
The season premiere also attracted notable Hollywood figures, including music industry pioneer Pepe Garza.
What’s Next?
COMBATE GLOBAL returns live on Thursday, March 12, headlined by three-time world boxing champion and unbeaten MMA fighter Kenia Enriquez. The “Mexican Queen” will face Japanese Jiu-Jitsu black belt CaySea McBride in a 115-pound strawweight contest.
With 20 live events scheduled this year, record-breaking viewership momentum, and expanded distribution across linear and digital platforms, COMBATE GLOBAL appears poised for its biggest season yet.
Roberto Villa is the CEO, Founder, Executive Writer, and Senior Editor of FightBook MMA. Has a passion for Combat Sports and is also a podcast host for Sitting Ringside. He’s also a former MMA fighter and Kickboxer. He’s also the main photographer for the 4CornersMafia Car Club.
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