Rafa Garcia will make his first Combate Americas title defense next month.
The undefeated Mexican fighter will take on former UFC fighter and 2019 Copa Combate tournament winner Humberto Bandenay on Feb. 21 in Mexicali, Mexico. The bout will serve as the main event of the card.
The news was announced by the promotion Monday.
Garcia (11-0 MMA) won the inaugural Combate Americas 155-pound title in September at Combate Americas 44 with a unanimous decision win over Erick Gonzalez. The 25-year-old Garcia has been competing for Combate Americas since 2017 and has compiled a record of 7-0 in the promotion.
The man challenging for the belt, Bandenay (18-7 MMA), is coming off the 2019 Copa Combate one-night tournament, which went down in December. The Peruvian fighter went 3-0 to win the tournament and the $100,000 prize. Bandenay is on a four-fight win streak, which comes after an 0-3 run which led to his UFC release.
No other matchups were announced for the card, but the promotion expects to make more announcements in the near future.
