MIAMI – August 19, 2025 – COMBATE GLOBAL today announced the return of Mexican reality television star and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter, Jawy Mendez (1-1), to La Jaula on Thursday, Sept. 18, live worldwide on YouTube from Azteca Studios in Mexico City.
The COMBATE GLOBAL event on September 18 will feature a complete ‘Mexico vs. USA’ lineup of five fights, and will stream live, worldwide, free-of-charge on COMBATE GLOBAL’s YouTube channel, beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT/18:00 UTC.
Mendez, who has been referred to as “The Spanish Jake Paul”, will take on American competitor, John “The Hitman” Padrón (2-1-1), in a featured, 175-pound catchweight contest.
The fight will come five months after Mendez earned the first MMA victory of his career in COMBATE GLOBAL action in Miami.
“Jawy has grown tired of being called ‘The Mexican Jake Paul’, and has promised me to eclipse that manufactured fighter,” said COMBATE GLOBAL CEO, Campbell McLaren.
A star on nine consecutive seasons of MTV Latin America’s smash-hit reality series Acapulco Shore as well as a star on the Televisa blockbuster reality series Hotel VIP, and a reggaeton singer, Mendez shocked the world with his decision to enter the grueling world of professional MMA in 2023.
In his last COMBATE GLOBAL MMA matchup on April 24, Mendez defeated another American opponent in Rafael Monterola by way of second round (3:59) TKO (strikes).
Mendez’s performance in his second-career MMA fight was a stark contrast to that in his debut when, with no previous amateur experience and minimal formal training, he was defeated in the second round (4:08) round by Colombia’s Johan “The Samurai” Rodriguez, despite fighting valiantly and showing the heart of a legitimate fighter.
For the second time in a row, Mendez is preparing at the 30,000 square foot MMA Masters camp in Miami, under the watchful eyes of head trainers Master Cesar Carneiro and Daniel Valverde who, together, have trained more than 100 world champions.
Mendez will be cornered for the second straight time by veteran fighter and MMA Masters trainer, Danny “The Colombian Warrior” Chavez.
Mendez’s opponent, Padrón, is a native of New York City, fighting out of Orlando, FL, where he trains with the likes of famed champions Lyoto Machida and Mike Perry at Fusion X-Cel Performance.
He is a four-time veteran of the famed Underground Combat League (UCL), the former unsanctioned MMA promotion that was based in New York City and that gave rise to several MMA stars of the future, including Frankie Edgar.
Padrón also has 10 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu matches under his belt.
Additional bouts for the COMBATE GLOBAL ‘Mexico vs. USA’ event will be announced soon.
Additional information about COMBATE GLOBAL and its athletes can be found on www.CombateGlobal.com as well as on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram.
