Maximo Blanco, a breakout star from Japan’s Sengoku Raiden Championship, will likely make his Strikeforce debut this fall, when the explosive Venezuelan is expected to square off with former Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson.
A source close to the matchup Wednesday confirmed to Sherdog.com that at least one fighter has already signed an agreement for the bout, which is being targeted for an as-yet-unannounced September card. MMAWeekly.com initially reported the matchup.
Blanco (Pictured), 27, is a 2007 Pan American Games bronze medalist in freestyle wrestling who transitioned to MMA in 2008 under the tutelage of Hidehiko Yoshida. Known for his frenzied offensive style and powerful strikes, “Maxi” rides a six-fight win streak into his showdown with Thomson. The former lightweight King of Pancrase, Blanco was last seen on Dec. 30 taking a unanimous decision over Won Sik Park at Sengoku “Soul of Fight.”
Thomson has split his last four bouts, a stretch that snapped an eight-fight winning streak for “The Punk.” In 2009, the American Kickboxing Academy standout lost his Strikeforce belt to the same man from whom he had taken it: current champion Gilbert Melendez. Thomson rebounded from that unanimous decision loss with back-to-back victories over Pat Healy and Gesias Cavalcante, only to drop his most recent bout, a decision loss to Tatsuya Kawajiri on New Year’s Eve in Japan.
Source: http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Blanco-Thomson-Targeted-for-September-Strikeforce-Event-32800
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