The Palacio de Deportes in Santander will host a major mixed martial arts (MMA) event on 14 November, organised by AFL MMA in collaboration with the Santander City Council and Santa Cruz de Bezana. Beatriz Pellón, the councillor for sports, announced the event alongside Daniel Mínguez, the event promoter, and several fighters participating in the matches.
The evening will feature a total of 14 bouts, comprising six professional and eight amateur fights. This mix showcases both the high competitive level of the promoter and the development of new athletes in the sport.
Main event details
The headline fight will see Jonathan García, known as 'La Bestia', face off against Daniel Requeijo, dubbed 'El Gallego', for the professional featherweight title. García is coming off a TKO victory in Hexagone MMA, while Requeijo, returning from retirement, aims to conclude his career as a champion. With 21 professional wins, 19 by finish, the veteran from Galicia will challenge a new generation of fighters against a rival eager to impose his grappling skills.
Another highlight will be the MMA debut of Abraham Roqueñi, known as 'El Demonio', a world champion in kickboxing and Muay Thai, who will compete against David Herrera, 'El Carnicero', who has four professional victories, all by knockout. This match promises a clash between elite striking experience and the power of a finisher.
Additional fights
The professional card also includes a rematch with history: Mohamed Touré, 'Prince', will meet Mihai Dogaru, 'El Halcón', nearly four years after their amateur bout, where Dogaru won by guillotine in the first round. This time, both will compete as professionals. Other notable matchups include Héctor Huamani, 'Guerrero', against José Luis Bravo, 'Cole', in the featherweight division, and the professional debuts of Miguel Ángel Díaz, 'Androide', and Javier Otaduy, 'Ota', in the lightweight category.
In the amateur section, three titles will be contested. Ayman Zekhnini, 'El Incansable', a two-time amateur champion in featherweight and bantamweight, is moving up to professionalism, leaving both titles vacant. In featherweight, interim champion Gonzalo González, 'Karate Kid', will challenge Rafo Manukyan, who won his last fight by TKO in just 14 seconds. In bantamweight, the undefeated Orisha Colorado (4-0) will face interim champion Oussama Aouli, 'Alioli' (9-4), who seeks to convert his interim title into the absolute championship. The third title will be the amateur lightweight (70 kg), featuring Samuel Tabi, 'Humble Terro', against Valentín Nifanti, 'Flo The Dog', who remains undefeated with a record of 10-0, all wins by stoppage.
Supporting local talent
The event will also highlight emerging talent from the northern region of Spain, with representatives from gyms such as CD Tibet, GAMAN, Praxis, Kuraia, and Solum. Notable fights include Pablo Crueghe from the Cyfit team against Marcos Fernández, a rising name from Praxis, and a welterweight clash between Aziz Diaw and Adrian Rikam. Promising fighters like Alexandre Moreno, Adrian Baranda, and Dylan Blanco will also be in action.
With a professional title fight as the main event, the debut of a combat sports legend, a rematch with unfinished business, and three amateur titles on the line, Santander aims to blend experience, entertainment, and a generational shift, fostering new talent in the national MMA landscape.
Background of AFL MMA
The project was initiated to contribute to the growth of a sport that initially offered limited competitive opportunities for fighters in Spain. The first event, AFL 1, took place in Barcelona on 10 May 2014. Since then, AFL has consistently organised both professional and amateur competitions across various venues and cities in Spain. The promoter's model aims to provide athletes with a platform to develop their careers while creating events designed as sporting spectacles and experiences for the audience.
AFL's recent activities are closely linked to Santa Cruz de Bezana, where events from the AFL Underground Series were held in 2025, including one on 26 July that attracted around 1,000 spectators. Following this, AFL has continued to programme amateur events in Bezana, setting the stage for this larger collaboration in Santander.
