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, t ...

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

and

World Victory Road World Victory Road (WVR) is a defunct 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 ...

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 martial arts, Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast k ...

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 university, private research university in Japan. Its predecessor, Nihon Law School (currently the Department of Law), was founded by Yamada Akiyoshi, the Minister of Justice (Japan), Minister of Justice, in 1889. ...

. 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 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 Aldo may refer to: * Aldo (given name), male given name ** Aldo (footballer, born 1977) ** Aldo (footballer, born 1988) * Aldo Group, a worldwide chain of shoe stores * Aldosterone in shorthand * Aldo Bonzi, a town in Argentina {{disa ...

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 World Victory Road (WVR) is a defunct 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 c ...

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 Rodrigo Damm (; born 3 February 1980) is a Brazilian retired professional mixed martial artist who last competed in the Lightweight division of the UFC. A professional since 2004, he also competed for World Victory Road, Strikeforce, Jungle Fi ...

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 Japanese mixed martial artist currently fighting at Welterweight. A longtime veteran of the Pancrase organization, Kunioku captured the King of Pancrase Middleweight Championship and King of Pancrase Welterweight Championship before leavin ...

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 Joshua Joseph Thomson (born September 21, 1977) is an American mixed martial arts podcaster, commentator, analyst and former mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2001, Thomson has competed in Bellator MMA, PRIDE, Strikeforce, ...

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 Marcus Clyde Brimage (born April 6, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division. A professional competitor since 2007, he has formerly competed for the UFC and was a competitor on The Ultimate Fig ...

on April 21, 2012 at

UFC 145 ''UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. It was the 9th UFC event of the year, and took place on April 21, 2012 at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Background The headline fight ...

. He lost the fight via split decision. For his second fight with the promotion, Blanco took on

Sam Sicilia Samuel Travis Sicilia (born February 1, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the featherweight division for Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2007, Sicilia formerly competed for the UFC, a ...

on April 13, 2013 at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale. He won the back-and-forth fight via unanimous decision. Blanco faced Akira Corassani on November 30, 2013 at

The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate'' (also known as ''The Ultimate Fighter 18'') is the eighteenth U.S.-based installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. ...

. 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 Felipe Arantes (born 9 February 1988) is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist, who competed in the bantamweight and featherweight divisions. A professional MMA competitor since 2008, Arantes mostly fought in Brazil before signing with th ...

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. Background ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Blanco then faced

Andy Ogle Andrew Richard Ogle (born 16 February 1989) is a retired English mixed martial artist, who formerly competed in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional MMA competitor since 2009, Ogle has made a name ...

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 Daniel Hooker (born 13 February 1990) is a New Zealand mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Hooker was the King in the Ring Middleweight Kickboxing Champion and WKBF ...

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 hoste ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Blanco next faced

Mike De La Torre Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...

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 artist who competed in the Featherweight division of the UFC. Bermudez has been a professional MMA competitor since 2009. He has made a name for himself mainly fi ...

on January 17, 2016 at

UFC Fight Night 81 ''UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Cruz'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 81'') was a mixed martial arts event held on January 17, 2016, at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Background A UFC Bantamweight Championship bout between defending ...

. 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 Chas Lucas Skelly (born May 11, 1985) is an American retired mixed martial artist who competed in the featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2009, he has also competed for Bellator MMA and Legacy Fig ...

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 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 pr ...

** 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) ,

, Technical Submission (anaconda choke) , UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Johnson , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:19 , Hidalgo, Texas, 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 a ...

, 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) ,

, 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 Vegas ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–6–1 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Nelson , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 10–6–1 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Munoz vs. Mousasi , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, Germany , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–6–1 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Mousasi , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Jaraguá do Sul Jaraguá do Sul () is a city in the north of the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. History The city was founded on July 25, 1876, by engineer and Brazilian Army colonel Emílio Carlos Jourdan and his family. The city was originally named jus ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–5–1 (1) , Akira Corassani , 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) ,

, 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) ,

, Decision (split) ,

, , 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 498,715 ...

, 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 line wi ...

, 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 largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, 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) ,

, 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