Maximo Blanco (born October 16, 1983) is a Venezuelan professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who last competed in the

Featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

. A professional competitor since 2008, Blanco is the former Lightweight King of Pancrase and has also competed in

Strikeforce Strike Force may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games *Strike Force (video game), ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game *''Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game *''Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game *' ...

and

World Victory Road World Victory Road (WVR) was a Japanese mixed martial arts (MMA) organization which promoted the Sengoku Raiden Championship (SRC) in Japan. The organization was formed in 2007 following the purchase of PRIDE FC by Zuffa. It operated in conjunct ...

Background

Blanco, originally from Venezuela, trained in

Tae Kwon Do Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In a ...

for three years, reaching the rank of green belt, before being introduced to

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

at the age of 14 by his cousin. Blanco competed in the sport for a year at German Villalobos High School, before being recruited to compete for the inaugural team at Sendai Ikuei Gakuen High School in Japan along with three other Venezuelans. Blanco faced problems with bullying and fitting into a new society, but continued to excel at wrestling, winning All-Japan honors before being recruited again to compete at

Nihon University , abbreviated as , is a private research university in Japan. Its predecessor, Nihon Law School (currently the Department of Law), was founded by Yamada Akiyoshi, the Minister of Justice, in 1889. The university's name is derived from the Ja ...

. Upon graduating, Blanco continued competing and won International Championships in Venezuela, China, and Azerbaijan. Blanco was also a competitor at the

2007 Pan American Games The 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan American Games () and commonly known as Rio 2007, were a major Americas, continental multi-sport event that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 13 to 29, 2007. A total of ...

and came close to winning a

Bronze Medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receives ...

in the 144 lb weight division, he later lost the third place match via points to Peruvian grappler Aldo Parimango.

Mixed martial arts career

Pancrase

Blanco made his mixed martial arts debut on August 27, 2008, against Yuki Yashima at Pancrase: Shining 6. The bout ended in a no contest after an accidental

headbutt A headbutt or butt is a targeted strike (attack), strike with the head, typically involving the use of robust parts of the headbutter's Skull#Humans, cranium as the area of impact. The most effective headbutts strike the most sensitive areas of ...

. He returned to the promotion at Pancrase: Shining 8 on October 1, 2008, and knocked out Hiroki Aoki with a slam and punches in just 22 seconds. Blanco faced Daisuke Hanazawa at Pancrase: Shining 10 on December 7, 2008, and was defeated by submission due to an arm-triangle choke in the second round. He faced Koji Oishi at Pancrase: Changing Tour 2 on April 5, 2009. The fight was ruled a draw after two rounds.

Sengoku Raiden Championship

Blanco made his debut for

Sengoku Raiden Championship World Victory Road (WVR) was a Japanese mixed martial arts (MMA) organization which promoted the Sengoku Raiden Championship (SRC) in Japan. The organization was formed in 2007 following the purchase of PRIDE FC by Zuffa. It operated in conjunct ...

at World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku no Ran 2009 on January 4, 2009, and knocked out standout wrestler Seigo Inoue with stomps in 38 seconds, it was later revealed in a SRC press conference that Blanco had broken Seigo's orbital bone with the stomps and Inoue was later forced into a 3-year retirement to rehabilitate his injury. Blanco returned to SRC at Sengoku 8 on May 2, 2009, against Akihiko Mori. He was disqualified after striking Mori with an illegal soccer kick after knocking him down with a punch. In his next fight, Blanco became the Lightweight King of Pancrase by defeating veteran Katsuya Inoue, older brother of Seigo Inoue, with punches in the second round at Pancrase: Changing Tour 4 on August 8, 2009. Blanco faced Tetsuya Yamada at Sengoku 10 on September 23, 2009. He won the fight by TKO in the second round. On March 7, 2010, Blanco knocked out Chang Hyun Kim with a head kick at Sengoku Raiden Championships 12. Blanco was matched up against Rodrigo Damm at Sengoku Raiden Championships 13 on June 20, 2010. He defeated Damm by TKO early in the second round. Blanco faced

Kiuma Kunioku is a retired Japanese mixed martial artist. A longtime veteran of the Pancrase organization, Kunioku captured the King of Pancrase Middleweight Championship and King of Pancrase Welterweight Championship before leaving the organization in 2004 ...

at Sengoku Raiden Championship 15 on October 30, 2010. He won the fight via KO late in the first round. On April 11, 2011, Pancrase announced Blanco had vacated his title, due to an inability to defend his belt because of numerous injuries.

Strikeforce

Blanco next signed a three-fight deal with

. Blanco was expected to face Josh Thomson at Strikeforce 36 but a foot injury caused Thompson to drop out. Pat Healy stepped in for the injured Thomson. Blanco lost the bout via submission in the second round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

On September 14, 2011, Blanco's management stated that he would be moving down to the Featherweight division and that his next fight would be in the UFC. In his debut, Blanco faced Marcus Brimage on April 21, 2012, at UFC 145. He lost the fight via split decision. For his second fight with the promotion, Blanco took on Sam Sicilia on April 13, 2013, at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale. He won the back-and-forth fight via unanimous decision. Blanco faced

Akira Corassani Hamid Khorassani (; born August 27, 1982), professionally known as Akira Corassani, is a Swedish former professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A pro ...

on November 30, 2013, at The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale. Early in the opening round Blanco landed an illegal knee to the head of Corassani when he had a knee and hand on the ground. Corassani indicated that he was unable to continue, so Blanco lost the bout via disqualification. Blanco faced Felipe Arantes on February 15, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 36. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Blanco then faced Andy Ogle on May 31, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 41. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Blanco next faced Dan Hooker on September 20, 2014, at

UFC Fight Night 52 ''UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Nelson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 52'') was a mixed martial arts event held on September 20, 2014, at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Background The event was the third time that the organization hosted ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Blanco next faced Mike De La Torre on July 12, 2015, at The Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale. He won the fight via TKO in the first round. Blanco was expected to face

Dennis Bermudez Dennis Ross Bermudez (born December 13, 1986) is a retired American mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competed in the Featherweight (MMA), Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC. Bermudez has been a professi ...

on January 17, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 81. However, Bermudez pulled out of the fight in early December citing injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer Luke Sanders. He lost the fight via submission in the first round. Blanco returned to face Chas Skelly on September 17, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 94. He lost the fight via submission in the fight's opening minute.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Pancrase is a Japanese mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Tokyo. It was founded in 1993 by professional wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki. The name was based on pankration, a fighting sport in the An ...

** Pancrase Lightweight Championship (One time) *

Sherdog Sherdog is an American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It also has many forums and discussion pages on the many topics of MMA like records, promotions, etc. The site is a member of the CraveOnline network and provides MM ...

**2010 All-Violence Second Team

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, , Chas Skelly , Technical Submission (anaconda choke) , UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Johnson , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:19 ,

Hidalgo, Texas Hidalgo is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. Its population was 11,198 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, and in 2020, the population had risen to 13,964. History The area that is now Hidalgo was first settled by Spanis ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–7–1 (1) , Luke Sanders , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Cruz , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:38 ,

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–6–1 (1) , Mike De La Torre , TKO (punches) , The Ultimate Fighter: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians Finale , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:16 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–6–1 (1) , Dan Hooker , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Nelson , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 10–6–1 (1) , Andy Ogle , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Munoz vs. Mousasi , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, Germany , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–6–1 (1) , Felipe Arantes , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Mousasi , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Jaraguá do Sul, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–5–1 (1) ,

, DQ (illegal knee) , The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate Finale , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:25 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–4–1 (1) , Sam Sicilia , Decision (unanimous) , The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen Finale , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–4–1 (1) , Marcus Brimage , Decision (split) , UFC 145 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–3–1 (1) , Pat Healy , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:27 ,

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2–1 (1) , Won Sik Park , Decision (unanimous) , World Victory Road Presents: Soul of Fight , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 7–2–1 (1) ,

, KO (punches) , World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku Raiden Championships 15 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:26 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 6–2–1 (1) , Rodrigo Damm , TKO (punches) , World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku Raiden Championships 13 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:45 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 5–2–1 (1) , Chang Hyun Kim , KO (head kick and punches) , World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku Raiden Championships 12 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:10 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 4–2–1 (1) , Tetsuya Yamada , TKO (punches) , World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 10 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:12 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 3–2–1 (1) , Katsuya Inoue , TKO (punches) , Pancrase: Changing Tour 4 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:38 ,

, Japan , Won the Pancrase Lightweight Championship. , - , Loss , align=center, 2–2–1 (1) , Akihiko Mori , DQ (illegal soccer kick) , World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:20 ,

, Japan , , - , Draw , align=center, 2–1–1 (1) , Koji Oishi , Draw , Pancrase: Changing Tour 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 (1) , Seigo Inoue , KO (stomps) , World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku no Ran 2009 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:38 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 (1) , Daisuke Hanazawa , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Pancrase: Shining 10 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:19 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 (1) , Hiroki Aoki , TKO (slam and punches) , Pancrase: Shining 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:22 ,

, Japan , , - , NC , align=center, 0–0 (1) , Yuki Yashima , NC (accidental headbutt) , Pancrase: Shining 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:56 ,

, Japan ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Blanco, Maximo Living people 1983 births Sportspeople from Falcón Pancrase champions Venezuelan male mixed martial artists Lightweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing taekwondo Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Venezuelan Muay Thai practitioners Venezuelan male sport wrestlers Wrestlers at the 2007 Pan American Games Pan American Games competitors for Venezuela Venezuelan expatriate sportspeople in Japan Venezuelan male taekwondo practitioners Nihon University alumni Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters