5 Things You Might Not Know About Gustavo Balart

Gustavo Balart seems to have found a home overseas.

The 4-foot-11 Cuban dynamo carries the look of a legitimate contender in the One Championship men’s strawweight division, where back-to-back victories have put him within striking distance of a title shot. Balart, 35, last appeared at One 156 on April 22, when he was awarded a three-round unanimous decision over former champion Yosuke Saruta. He has now gone the distance in nine of his 10 professional victories.

As Balart awaits word on his next assignment from One Championship matchmakers, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. He rose from fertile grounds.

Balart was born on Feb. 10, 1987 in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, and shares a hometown with “I Love Lucy” star Desi Arnaz, former World Championship Wrestling television champion Konnan, ex-Florida Marlins first baseman Orestes Destrade and famed music producer Emilio Estefan.

2. Familiar steering winds brought him to the cage.

“El Gladiador” was a gold medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling at the Pan American Games in 2011. Balart then represented Cuba in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, where he reached the 55-kilogram quarterfinals before being eliminated by South Korea’s Choi Gyu-Jin.

3. His was a classic case of better late than never.

Balart made his professional mixed martial arts debut at the age of 28 when he took a unanimous decision from Mauricio Gomez Oquendo at a Latin Fighter Championship show on Aug. 1, 2015. Seven of his 10 victories have been recorded after he turned 30.

4. Remaining obstacles are few.

The former Olympian has risen to fourth in the One Championship men’s strawweight division rankings. Only Jarred Brooks, Bokang Masunyane and Hiroba Minowa are ahead of Balart in the line that has formed behind reigning champion Joshua Pacio.

5. Readiness never figures to be an issue.

Balart has aligned himself with the powerhouse American Top Team camp in Florida, where he has access to any number of world-class coaches and training partners. The Titan Fighting Championship veteran’s development there has made him one of the top 125-pound fighters in Asia.