JAWY MENDEZ VS PUERTO RICAN ‘HITMAN’ AT COMBATE GLOBAL ON THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26 IN BURBANK, CALIF. – REAL COMBAT MEDIA MMA

JAWY MENDEZ VS PUERTO RICAN ‘HITMAN’
AT COMBATE GLOBAL ON THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26 IN BURBANK, CALIF.

THE COMBATE GLOBAL EVENT LIVE LIVE IN THE USA
ON ESTRELLATV AND YOUTUBE, FROM 10PM ET,
AND LIVE IN MEXICO ON SAMSUNG TV PLUS
BURBANK, CALIF. – February 11, 2026 – COMBATE GLOBAL announced today that the Mexican television star and MMA fighter Jawy “The Mexican Jake Paul” Mendez (1-1) will face former Underground Combat League (UCL) fighter, John “The Hitman” Padron (2-1) at COMBATE GLOBAL’s inaugural 2026 event in Burbank, California on Thursday, February 26.

The bout between the Mexican and Puerto Rican fighters will be contested at a catchweight of 175 pounds and will be televised live in the US on EstrellaTV in Spanish and in English on COMBAT TIPSthe YouTube channel of MMA content creator Shane Fazen.

In Mexico, the fight will be broadcast nationally on Samsung TV Plus.

The COMBATE GLOBAL live television broadcast begins on all platforms at 10pm ET/7pm PT on February 26.

“This guy Jawy is a bougie wannabe. We’ll see what he looks like after I turn him into a human piñata on February 26,” Padron said.

“This is the last chance for this fighter to prove he has what it takes. For him, this isn’t a show – it’s a fight,” said Campbell McLaren, CEO of COMBATE GLOBAL.

Born and raised in The Bronx, NY, The Hitman was part of MMA history, competing in the renegade UCL, which produced dozens of unsanctioned MMA events in various locations throughout New York City in the 2000s, when MMA was unregulated in New York State.

The UCL spawned the careers of several notable fighters, including Frankie Edgar.

Above: John “The Hitman” Padron (left) fought three times in the legendary New York City
Underground Combat League (UCL). Photo credit: Anil Melwani

For the past 5 years, Padron has lived in Orlando, Florida, where he trains with several name fighters, including retired legend Lyoto Machida and Mike “Platinum” Perry, at Fusion Xcel Performance.

Before that, he lived in England for two years and trained with MMA star Paddy Pimblett.

Padron has over 20 years of combined experience in martial arts training and holds a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

A reality TV star, Mendez turned his passion for fighting into reality when he made his professional MMA debut with COMBATE GLOBAL in 2023.

In his second fight Mendez achieved success, fuses another fighter from The Bronx, Rafael Monterola, in the second round (3:59) of their bout in Miami, Florida on April 24, 2025.

For the upcoming challenge against Padron, Mendez has headed to Irvine, California to prepare for master trainer Colin Oyama’s MMA camp.

Mendez was a star on MTV’s hit reality series for nine consecutive seasons Acapulco coast and a star in the reality series Televisa, a runaway success Hotel VIP.

Last October, he was a cast member and competitor The VIP farmanother popular reality TV show streaming on Disney+ in Mexico and produced by Fremantle.

The full COMBATE GLOBAL fight card for February 26 will be announced next week.

Additional information about COMBATE GLOBAL and its athletes can be found at www.CombateGlobal.com as well as on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram And TikTok.

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