Joel Blanton has been competing in mixed martial arts for the past two decades, winning five world championships.
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The freshly painted shiner under Joel Blanton’s left eye answers at least one question before it’s even asked.
How actively competitive can a 52-year-old still be in mixed martial arts?
Very.
Blanton has been competing in Brazilian jiu-jitsu for nearly 22 years, winning five no-gi world championships, and he’s showing no signs of slowing down; just this past weekend, he was at the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) Indianapolis Open, where he won both the middleweight and open divisions in no-gi.
A native of Logansport, Blanton now trains and coaches at the Indiana Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Greenwood alongside his longtime coach James Clingerman, who owns and operates the gym. IBJJA has been at its current location on U.S. 31 since Aug. 1 of last year, but Clingerman has been coaching since the turn of the century.
He has been working with Blanton since 2003. The first time Blanton lost an MMA match, Clingerman was his opponent’s coach; within a few months, the two were linked for good.
“I’m pretty proud of that,” Blanton said of his long-standing friendship with Clingerman. “White belt through black belt.”
To say the pairing has been a fruitful one would be an understatement. Blanton won no-gi world titles in both his weight class and the open division in both 2013 and 2014 as a brown belt; in 2015, he took his weight class for a third time and also won another title in a gi (the familiar martial arts uniform that fans of “The Karate Kid” or “Cobra Kai” might recognize).
Competing at a Master 3 level (ages 41-45) when he won his world championships, Blanton is now a Master 5 (51-55), but he has been known to drop down and compete in a younger class at times to ensure having more matches.
“Sometimes the older guys don’t like to come out and play,” he said.
Regardless of what age or weight class he’s in, Blanton makes sure to also compete in the open division both to chase another title and to challenge himself — which can often lead to some fairly lopsided mismatches for the 5-foot-5 grappler.
In his first-ever open match in New York City, he found himself up against an ultra heavyweight who stood 6-9 and weighed 290 pounds.
“He was absolutely enormous,” recalled Blanton, who checks in at a little under 180 pounds.
No matter who he gets matched up with, Blanton has every intention of continuing to compete. He expects himself to stay physically healthy and able to protect himself and the people he cares about; doing hard things, he says, is what makes all of us better.
“I won’t always be able to do it at the intensity I do it now,” Blanton said. “There’ll be a taper to it, but just to keep going as long as I can. I have a very good friend of mine who’s in his mid-60s and still goes out and competes.”
The keys to developing within the sport, and going from a white belt to a black belt as Blanton did? Patience — along with enjoying the process.
That latter part can be easier said than done.
“Sometimes during the process you forget to enjoy it,” Blanton said, “because sometimes it’s not any fun. Especially when you have somebody that’s a higher level than you and you’re getting smashed up a little bit when you’re on the bottom, and it hurts.”
Those moments force the guy on the bottom to dig a little bit deeper, which stokes Blanton’s still-burning competitive fire.
That thirst for competition isn’t limited to the mat, either. Blanton is currently vying for the title of Mr. Health & Fitness, a contest conducted annually by Muscle & Fitness magazine, and he was one of four contestants still alive when quarterfinal voting concluded on Thursday night.
Should he be the top vote-getter in the final round, Blanton would be featured in the magazine and also earn $20,000. The money, though, isn’t as important to him as bringing increased attention to Clingerman and their local gym.
“I want to put a different light on the academy,” Blanton said. “I want to be able to do something for (Clingerman).”
Win or lose, he’s doing just that.
