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

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

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, this ...

division of the

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

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

Background

Blanco, originally from Venezuela, trained in

Tae Kwon Do ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. T ...

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

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

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. It is one of Japan's leading private univers ...

. 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, 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 5,633 athletes from 42 National Ol ...

and came close to winning a Bronze Medal 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 is a targeted strike with the head, typically (when intentional) involving the use of robust parts of the headbutter's cranium as the area of impact. The most effective headbutts strike the most sensitive areas of an opponent, such as ...

. 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 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 ''World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 8'' was a mixed martial arts event promoted by World Victory Road. It took place on May 2, 2009 and featured the second round of WVR's 2009 Featherweight Grand-Prix. Results See also * Wor ...

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 ''World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 10'' was a mixed martial arts event promoted by World Victory Road on September 23, 2009. The event included three Gold Cup matches featuring the winners of Sengoku: Gold Cup South Korea versus the winners o ...

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 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 Strikeforce. Blanco was expected to face Josh Thomson at Strikeforce 36 but a foot injury caused Thompson to drop out.

Pat Healy Patrick Healy, Pat Healy, Patrick Healey or Pat Healey may refer to: * Felix Healy (Patrick Joseph Healy, born 1955), former Northern Irish football player and manager * Pat Healy (actor) (born 1971), American actor, writer, and director * Pat H ...

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 ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen'' (also known as ''The Ultimate Fighter 17'') is the seventeenth installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. The series ...

. He won the back-and-forth fight via unanimous decision. Blanco faced

Akira Corassani Akira may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Akira'' (franchise), a Japanese cyberpunk franchise ** ''Akira'' (manga), a 1980s cyberpunk manga by Katsuhiro Otomo ** ''Akira'' (1988 film), an anime film adaptation of the manga ** ''Akira'' (vide ...

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 ''UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Mousasi'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 36'') was a mixed martial arts event held on February 15, 2014, at the Arena Jaraguá in Jaraguá do Sul, Brazil. The event was broadcast live on Fox Sports 1. Backg ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Blanco then faced Andy Ogle on May 31, 2014 at

UFC Fight Night 41 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Blanco next faced Dan Hooker on September 20, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 52. 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 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 ''UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Johnson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 94'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on September 17, 2016, at State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas. Background After co ...

. He lost the fight via submission in the fight's opening minute.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Pancrase Pancrase Inc. is a mixed martial arts promotion company founded in Japan in 1993 by professional wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki. The name was based on pankration, a fighting sport in the Ancient Olympic Games. Suzuki and Funaki ...

** 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, 12–8–1 (1) , 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. The population was 11,198 at the 2010 census, and in 2019 the estimated population was 14,183. History The area that is now Hidalgo was first settled by Spanish colonists led by José ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–7–1 (1) ,

Luke Sanders Luke Daniel Sanders (born December 12, 1985) is a retired American mixed martial artist who competed in the Bantamweight division. A professional competitor since 2011, he also competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Strikeforce an ...

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Cruz , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:38 , Boston, Massachusetts, 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 (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, 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 Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

, 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 capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–3–1 (1) ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:27 ,

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state lin ...

, 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 (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 7–2–1 (1) , Kiuma Kunioku , 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 Lightweight King of Pancrase 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 People from Falcón 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