Alberto El Patron returning to MMA for Combate Americas

By Joseph Currier and Paul Fontaine

During an appearance on this week’s edition of the MMA Hour, Alberto El Patron announced that he’s returning to mixed martial arts and planning to fight for Combate Americas in 2019.

El Patron said the plan is for him to fight at the first pay-per-view in Combate Americas’ history. El Patron mentioned that he’d be facing a “former super champion” who is well known in Mexico and the United States, but it was noted that the deal for his opponent hasn’t been finalized yet.

Combate Americas CEO Campbell McLaren said they’re targeting February 2019 for the PPV, and El Patron brought up Arena Ciudad de Mexico as a possible venue for it.

El Patron said he thinks his return will only be for one fight, but he and McLaren both indicated that they weren’t closing the door on it being more than just a one-and-done thing.

El Patron has been working with Combate Americas as an ambassador and an announcer. He said his working relationship and friendship with McLaren started when McLaren wanted him to fight for the promotion, but El Patron was doing professional wrestling at the time and wasn’t that hungry to fight again. El Patron mentioned that the wrestling business has changed and, while others love how it’s going, he doesn’t enjoy it anymore.

El Patron fought several times in Japan and Mexico between 2001 and 2010, compiling a record of 9-5. Most of his opponents were relatively unknown, although he did score a stoppage win over former UFC fighter Brad Kohler in the DEEP promotion in Japan in 2003.

That win built El Patron up for the most high-profile fight of his MMA career, where he was knocked out in less than a minute by Mirko Cro Cop on the first Pride Bushido show. He was unique in the sense that he fought wearing a Lucha Libre mask and using his pro wrestling persona of Dos Caras Jr.