Venezuelan fighter Maximo Blanco will make the drop to featherweight and join the UFC.
The move was announced by Blanco’s manager, Brian Butler-Au of SuckerPunch Entertainment, via Twitter.
Blanco’s previous 13 bouts took place in the lightweight division, including his most recent bout, a rear-naked choke submission loss to Pat Healy under the Strikeforce banner on Sept. 10, which ended a six-fight winning streak.
Prior to fighting in Strikeforce, Blanco competed for World Victory Road’s Sengoku Raiden Championship and Pancrase in Japan, amassing an 8-2-1 record with one no contest. His original contract with Strikeforce called for three fights, but with the Zuffa acquisition of the promotion, a move to the UFC is not surprising.
The fighter is known for his wild and reckless striking, finishing seven of his eight wins by way of knockout. In the fight against Healy, Blanco was deducted a point for kicking his opponent repeatedly in the face while the two fighters were on the ground. A similar, illegal foul resulted in a loss under the Sengoku banner in 2009 against Akihiko Mori.
Blanco also possesses high-level wrestling, earning a bronze medal in freestyle wrestling at the 2007 Pan American Games in Brazil.
Known as “Maxi,” the 27-year-old recently started training with Jackson’s Submission Fighting in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Blanco will add depth to the 145-pound division, which has only been active since the UFC merged with the WEC in late 2010. Should he string together a few wins, his style could give current divisional kingpin Jose Aldo some trouble.
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