Combate Global picks, live stream, how to watch, fight card: Diaz vs. Marconetto predictions by MMA insider

How to watch Manuela Marconetto vs. Claudia Diaz and the rest of the April 8 Combate Global fight card

By CBS Sports Staff

Apr 8, 2022 at 8:30 pm ET • 2 min read

Combate Global

Claudia Diaz is a WBC Muay Thai champion. On her 27th birthday, she'll try to build off her first MMA victory in a strawweight battle against Manuela Marconetto that will headline Friday's Combate Global fight card. Marconetto also has a Muay Thai background, so expect to see plenty of striking and clinching in what should be an entertaining main event for Friday's Combate Global card. You can stream the action live on Paramount+.

The co-headliner will be an atomweight battle between 18-year-old Irlanda Galindo, who won Combate Global Submission of the Year in 2021, and Anna Somers. Other bouts on the Combate fight card include Flor De Durazno Chavez Pastrana vs. Blanca Marquez and Andrea Amaro vs. Carolynn Hinojosa. The Combate Global fight card begins at 10:30 p.m. ET and you can catch all the action live on Paramount+.

Paramount+ now has two levels of membership so you can watch Combate and much more. The Premium Plan is $9.99 per month and you can watch your local CBS live stream, including plenty of sports like Champions League, Italian Serie A, college hoops, and the PGA Tour, with no ads, on demand and the ability to download episodes for offline viewing. Plus, watch the highly-anticipated series Halo, Picard, 1883, and more. Both plans come with a free week to start. Paramount+ will even give you a free week to start, so sign up now here.

How to watch Combate Global

Date: Friday, April 8
Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
Streaming: Paramount+

Top Combate Global picks for April 8 fight card

Before tuning into Friday's Combate Global fight card, you need to see the picks from SportsLine's MMA insider Andrew Gombas. With more than 1,400 selections tracked by the third-party monitoring service Bet MMA, he has shown a 6 percent return on investment for his followers. Over the past two years, his followers have netted a profit of more than $10,000.

For Friday's Combate Global fight card, Gombas is backing Diaz to get the job done in the main event against Marconetto. With both fighters sharing similar backgrounds, you should lean towards the more accomplished Muay Thai specialist. Diaz is 17-7-1 as a Muay Thai fighter, while Marconetto is just 4-1.

Diaz is 1-3 as an MMA fighter, but she's coming off her first win last April in her Combate Global debut, when she knocked out Dulce Garcia in the second round. Marconetto (1-1) is coming off her first victory when she defeated Stephanie Essensa last September by unanimous decision.

Both fighters will be hungry to keep the momentum going, but Diaz has the benefit of having youth (27 vs. 31) and experience on her side. Plus, there's more for the WBC Muay Thai champion to gain with a win. If this fight becomes a clinching and striking affair, it will certainly benefit Diaz.