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 5 appearances. He's 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.