Combate Global: Jawy Mendez Takes On Puerto Rican ‘Hitman’ On February 26

COMBATE GLOBAL announced today that Mexican television star and MMA fighter Jawy “The Mexican Jake Paul” Mendez (1-1) will square off with former Underground Combat League (UCL) fighter, John “The Hitman” Padron (2-1) in COMBATE GLOBAL’s first 2026 event in Burbank, Calif. on Thursday, Feb. 26.

The matchup between the Mexican and Puerto Rican fighters will be contested at a catchweight of 175 pounds and will air live on television in the U.S. on EstrellaTV in Spanish and in English on FIGHTTIPS, the YouTube channel of MMA content creator, Shane Fazen.

In Mexico, the fight airs nationally on Samsung TV Plus.

The COMBATE GLOBAL live television broadcast will begin on all platforms at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on February 26.

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

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

Born and raised in The Bronx, N.Y., The Hitman was a part of MMA history, competing in the renegade UCL, which produced dozens of unsanctioned MMA events in various venues throughout New York City in the 2000’s when MMA was not regulated 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 New York City’s legendary
Underground Combat League (UCL). Photo credit: Anil Melwani

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

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

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

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

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

For the upcoming challenge against Padron, Mendez has ventured to Irvine, Calif. to prepare at master trainer Colin Oyama’s MMA camp.

Mendez was a star on nine consecutive seasons of MTV’s smash-hit reality series Acapulco Shore and a star on the Televisa runaway success reality series Hotel VIP.

Last October, he was a cast member and competitor on La Granja VIP, another popular reality television show that streams on Disney+ in Mexico and was produced by Fremantle.

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

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

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