Venezuela’s Mariel Celimen of Miami fights ‘La Loba’ to be the face of Combate Global MMA

Venezuelan Mariel Celimen, who trains at GOAT Shed Miami, wants to be the face of Combate Global MMA, and she takes a big step toward that distinction by headlining Combate Global on Saturday against internet sensation Lucero “La Loba” Acosta of Tijuana, Mexico.

Combate Global CEO Campbell McLaren predicts: “This fight between ‘La Loba’ and Mariel Celimen will be the most watched women’s MMA fight in history, and it will be a good indicator as far as which of these reinas [queens] will eventually rule the women’s flyweight division in Combate Global.”

McLaren knows what he speaks. An American entrepreneur and media executive with solid international ties, he is the co-creator/co-founder of UFC. He is now building Combate Global into the premier Hispanic Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sports franchise, rapidly becoming the No. 2 sport after soccer for Spanish speaking fans worldwide.

Celimen, originally from Maracaibo, Venezuela, battles Acosta in a flyweight grudge match. Celimen is 2-1 and Acosta 2-2. Acosta trains at Gamebred Training Center in Chula Vista, California.

People can watch Sept. 24 in Spanish on Univision and TUDN at 11 p.m. ET (and Televisa in Mexico) and in English on Paramount+ at 10 p.m. Paramount+ covers the prelims and the main card. The English broadcast team features WWE alum Max Bretos and Miami’s Rodolfo Roman.

This intense, competitive confrontation between Celimen and Acosta stems from their heated 1-on-1 sparring session in April at GOAT Shed, under the direction of Asim Zaidi, a former official National MMA Coach for Team USA, a two-time Kickboxing World Champion and a black belt in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, judo and tae kwon do.

In Celimen’s latest bout, she defeated American Tyler Schaffer via rear-naked choke submission. Her lone loss was via DQ as a result of illegally headbutting her opponent.

Acosta is an internet sensation whose fight videos and lifestyle content have garnered millions of views across YouTube, Instagram and Snap. Her last victory was April 16, 2021, when she scored a first round (2:28) TKO (punches) on Xtreme Couture team member Allysen Breeden.

Celimen, 27, who went 4-1 as an amateur, is eager to grow and improve in this discipline of combat sport. She spent some time in Garden City, New York, training at Longo-Weidman MMA.

Here is my video interview with Combate Global MMA fighter Mariel Celimen.

Celimen, a single mom of a 5-year-old daughter, left Venezuela for the United States after the death of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in 2013. Her mom lives in Miami, too.

A former top notch swimmer in Venezuela, Celimen decided to test herself, following the birth of her child. She gained weight from the pregnancy, and she looked for a way to lose the “baby fat.” Her daughter’s father competed in MMA; so she began training in jiu-jitsu. She took quickly to that style of fighting, which led to her interest in competing in MMA.

The bout between Acosta and Celimen marks the fifth time in 2022 that a women’s fight will headline a Combate Global event. Combate Global is producing 30 live events annually and has expanded its women’s fighter roster considerably since 2021. The women’s division comprises one-third of Combate Global’s total roster of more than 170 athletes, and Celimen is proud to be part of that.

Celimen is tough in the cage and strong mentally, making her a dangerous, up-and-coming fighter.

Combate Global fight card

In addition to Saturday’s main event (Celimen vs. Acosta), the Combate Global co-main event features Javier “Blair” Reyes (14-3) of Bogota, Colombia against Jose “Froggy” Estrada (7-3) of Oxnard, California at featherweight (145 pounds).

The 28-year-old Reyes is the top featherweight from Colombia, and will look to extend his win streak to five consecutive bouts, while Estrada, in his first start this year, will try to rebound from a first round (1:14) submission (armbar) defeat at the hands of Martin “El Toro” Bravo on Dec. 3.

In a featured bantamweight (135 pounds) contest, undefeated Erik Mendez (2-0) of Spokane, Washington collides with Anas Azizoun (1-0 MMA; 28-1 kickboxing) of Saint Etienne, France.

Former kickboxing star Jade Jorand (1-2) of Bordeaux, France will return to Combate Global action in a 113-pound catchweight contest with Guilia Ghinello (3-6) of Brugine, Padova, Italy on the preliminary bout card.

Leading off the undercard will be a flyweight match-up between Edwin Sarria (5-4) of Miami and Pablo Caballero (8-9) of Miami.

Combate Global MMA

Combate Global showcases fights weekly, usually Fridays from Miami via Paramount+ (English) and Univision and TUDN (Spanish). The company, under the direction of UFC founder Campbell McLaren, consists of fighters from around the world with a strong Latin American presence.

More information about Combate Global and its athletes can be found on www.CombateGlobal.com as well as on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

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