Pat Healy Submits Maximo Blanco

Veteran extends wins streak to three with second round submission

In the opening bout of the Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov main card, Pat Healy turned the highly anticipated debut of Maximo Blanco into a memory the Venezuelan would like to forget.

Though Blanco looked very good early, rocking Healy with a headkick in the first and clearly getting the better of the stand-up, the tide seemed to turn after time was called late in the first.

As Healy attempted a toe hold from the bottom, Blanco began defending by kicking him in the face; a clear foul that forced referee Gary Copeland to call time. After the restart, Healy took Blanco down and rode out the end of the round in control. With the point deduction to Blanco for the illegal blows, the opening frame ended as a 9-9 draw.

Healy came out and established his wrestling in the second, taking a slowed down Blanco to the ground and continually trying to trap and arm, looking for chokes from the back and side mount positions. Though Blanco was able to defend the first attempt and work his way back to his feet, Healy was relentless.

After dragging him to the canvas for a second time, Healy was able to secure his arm under the chin of Blanco, squeezing out a submission at 4:27 of the second round.

The victory gives Healy three consecutive wins in the Strikeforce lightweight division, and pushes his record to 26-16 overall.

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