Gustavo Eddy Balart Marin[1] (born February 10, 1987) is a Cuban mixed martial artist competing in the Strawweight division of ONE Championship. He has previously competed for the Titan Fighting Championships (Titan FC).
Balart is also a former amateur Greco-Roman wrestler who competed in the men's featherweight category.[2][3]
Gustavo Balart defeated Venezuela's Jorge Cardozo for the gold medal in his division at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.[4]
Balart represented Cuba at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, where he competed in the men's 55 kg class. He defeated Turkey's Ayhan Karakuş in the preliminary round of sixteen, before losing the quarterfinal match to South Korea's Choi Gyu-Jin, with a three-set technical score (0–1, 2–0, 0–1), and a classification point score of 1–3.[5]
Balart made his professional mixed martial arts debut on August 1, 2015.
Gustavo Balart made his ONE Championship debut against Tatsumitsu Wada at ONE: Roots of Honor in the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix Quarterfinal on April 12, 2019.[6] He lost by unanimous decision in controversial fashion.[7][8]
In his next bout, Balart faced Chan Rothana at ONE: Dreams of Gold on August 16, 2019. He lost by unanimous decision.[9]
Balart was scheduled to face Robin Catalan at ONE: Masters of Fate on November 8, 2019.[10] Balart lost the fight by second-round knockout via head kick.[11]
Gustavo Balart was able to pick up his first promotional victory with a unanimous decision over Ryuto Sawada at ONE: Battleground on July 30, 2021.[12]
He picked up his second consecutive win with another unanimous decision over former Shooto Flyweight Champion and ONE Strawweight Champion Yosuke Saruta at ONE 156 on April 22, 2022.[13]
Balart faced former ONE Strawweight World Champion Alex Silva on October 21, 2022, at ONE 162.[14] At the weigh-ins, Balart failed the hydration test and was forced to take catchweight of 130.75 lbs, 5.75 lbs over the strawweight limit.[15] He won the fight via split decision.[16]
Balart faced Hiroba Minowa on January 28, 2024, at ONE 165.[17] He won the fight via split decision.[18]
Balart faced Jarred Brooks for the interim ONE Strawweight World Championship on August 3, 2024, at ONE Fight Night 24.[19] At the weigh-ins, Balart came in at 126 lb (after coming in at 131.75 lb in his first attempt), 1 pounds over the limit. As a result, Balart was fined 25% of his purse and was ineligible for the title, only Brooks was eligible to win the title.[20] He lost the fight via a rear-naked choke in round one.[21]
| 17 matches | 12 wins | 5 losses |
| By knockout | 1 | 2 |
| By submission | 0 | 1 |
| By decision | 11 | 2 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 12–5 | Jarred Brooks | Submission (rear-naked choke) | ONE Fight Night 24 | August 3, 2024 | 1 | 4:39 | Bangkok, Thailand | For the interim ONE Strawweight Championship (125 lb). Balart missed weight (126 lb) and was ineligible for the title. |
| Win | 12–4 | Hiroba Minowa | Decision (split) | ONE 165 | January 28, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 11–4 | Alex Silva | Decision (split) | ONE 162 | October 21, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Catchweight (130.75 lb) bout; Balart missed weight. |
| Win | 10–4 | Yosuke Saruta | Decision (unanimous) | ONE 156 | April 22, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Kallang, Singapore | |
| Win | 9–4 | Ryuto Sawada | Decision (unanimous) | ONE: Battleground | July 30, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Kallang, Singapore | |
| Loss | 8–4 | Robin Catalan | KO (head kick) | ONE: Masters of Fate | November 8, 2019 | 2 | 4:43 | Pasay, Philippines | Return to Flyweight. |
| Loss | 8–3 | Chan Rothana | Decision (unanimous) | ONE: Dreams of Gold | August 16, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Bangkok, Thailand | |
| Loss | 8–2 | Tatsumitsu Wada | Decision (unanimous) | ONE: Roots of Honor | April 12, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Pasay, Philippines | Bantamweight debut. ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix Quarterfinal. |
| Win | 8–1 | Wascar Cruz | KO (punches) | Titan FC 52: Soares vs. Uruguai | January 25, 2019 | 1 | 0:20 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 7–1 | Victor Dias | Decision (unanimous) | Titan FC 50: Manfio vs. Outlaw | June 29, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States | |
| Loss | 6–1 | Juan Puerta | KO (flying knee) | Titan FC 48: Torres vs. Orellano | February 16, 2018 | 3 | 2:14 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 6–0 | Bruno Korea | Decision (split) | Titan FC 47: Yusuff vs. Gomez | December 15, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 5–0 | Marcelo Castaneda | Decision (unanimous) | Titan FC 46: Torres vs. DeJesus | November 17, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Pembroke Pines, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 4–0 | Jorge Calvo Martin | Decision (split) | Titan FC 45: Araujo vs. Capitulino | August 18, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Pembroke Pines, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 3–0 | Dez Moore | Decision (unanimous) | Titan FC 44: Torres vs. Sharipov | May 19, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Pembroke Pines, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Carlos Hernandez | Decision (unanimous) | Titan FC 43: Torres vs. Nobre | January 21, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Coral Gables, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Mauricio Gomez Oquendo | Decision (unanimous) | Latin Fighting Championship 7 | August 1, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Bogotá, Colombia | Flyweight debut. |
