Blanco (right) is disqualified from the fight with Corassani. Photo: Disclosure/UFC
Maximo Blanco said he was embarrassed by the events of the TUF 18 Finale, last Saturday (November 30), when he lost by disqualification to Akira Corassani.
In the opening moments of the fight, the Venezuelan threw a knee to his rival's face when he was resting his right knee on the ground. Even though the blow was illegal under UFC rules, Blanco did not understand the attitude of referee Mario Yamasaki, who stopped the actions immediately.
Furthermore, when he was disqualified, Blanco thought he had actually won the fight. In an interview with the North American channel Fox Sports, the athlete stated that he regrets what happened. “I don't speak English, so I didn't understand what the referee told me. I'm not making excuses, but when the adrenaline is running high, it's hard to understand a language I'm not familiar with. So, when he finished the fight, I thought I won due to medical interruption”, he explained.
"I was embarrassed. I went to apologize to Akira and he asked me, in Spanish, what had happened. I could only apologize. The knee was intentional, but it was illegal, so I am to blame in this story”, added Blanco.
The blow left Corassani with a broken nose in five places, who classified the incident as “stupid”. Thus, “Maxi” suffered the fifth defeat of his career, the second in the UFC.
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