Combate Americas Postpones Return, Blames Coronavirus Outbreak In Florida & California

Combate Americas was set to return for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic on August 28, but that return has been postponed.

In A statement to ESPN, Combate Americas CEO Campbell McLaren says the surge of coronavirus cases in Florida and California led to the decision to delay the promotion’s return:

“This is not a decision we took lightly, and is based entirely on our focus to prioritize the safety of our employees, broadcast partners, fighters and the broader MMA community. We explored many alternatives to avoid this measure, including the possibility of moving our in-studio fights to Los Angeles. Unfortunately, the state of California is in a similarly precarious situation with COVID outbreaks, and it seems untenable to proceed without taking into consideration the health of those we love.”

The promotion was set to run three events from August to September in an empty arena setting in Miami, Florida before postponing the shows. The promotion hasn’t run an event since February 28 and there is no word now as to when they’ll be back in action.

Now that Combate Americas has postponed their return, it leaves them and the Professional Fighters League (PFL) as the only major MMA promotions that haven’t run events during the coronavirus pandemic.