Strikeforce has added several more bouts to their September 10th card, which will feature the semifinal round of the Heavyweight Grand Prix. Rising Canadian prospect Jordan Mein will face Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos, Josh "the Punk" Thompson will meet Maximo Blanco, "King Mo" Lawal fights Roger Gracie, and "Jacare" Souza defends his middleweight title against Luke Rockhold.
According to a report from Sherdog.com, sources close to the Pan-American bronze medalist wrestler are confirming that Maximo Blanco has signed a four-fight deal with Strikeforce. Blanco has impressively ascended through the ranks after entering the sport as a training fighter under the Sengoku banner. He amassed a mediocre 2-2-1 record in his first five appearances, but proved he had huge potential with stunning displays of power against Hiroki Aoki and Seigo Inoue. He won his next six consecutive fights, defeating Katsuya Inoue for the Lightweight King of Pancrase crown, Strikeforce veteran Rodrigo Damm, and most recently South Korean Won Sik Park. The combination of world class wrestling ability coupled with the speed and power of his stand-up game could prove to be a tough skill-set to counter with some more seasoning.
Maximo Blanco def. Kiuma Kunioku via R1 KO - SRC 15 10/30/2010
As expected, the lack of star power at World Victory Road's Sengoku Raiden Championships 15 produced some rather lackluster performances. Most notably, Olympic Judo silver medalist Hiroshi Izumi baffled fans with his propensity to strike with James Zikic in their main event showdown.
BloodyElbow.com brings you live play-by-play and results from Sengoku Raiden Championship's SRC 15, featuring a main event between Hiroshi Izumi and James Zikic, plus fighters like Maximo Blanco, Kazunori Yokota and more.
According to Tatame's Guilherme Cruz, Leonardo Santos has been forced out of his Oct. 30 bout with Maximo Blanco at SRC 15 due to a neck injury sustained in training. The match had been viewed as a title eliminator, with the winner earning the right to vie for the vacant SRC lightweight belt. Photo by Daniel Herbertson for Sherdog.
World Victory Road's Fighter Development Program is beginning to pay off with the rising star of Maximo Blanco.
