[2] After amassing a 2–1 record in the WCL, Blake went on to become a mainstay in the Oklahoma-based Xtreme Fighting League promotion, where he won the XFL Light heavyweight (-93 kg/205 lb) Kickboxing Championship.
Going undefeated as a professional at 20–0, he earned himself a shot at the vacant ISKA World Heavyweight (-96.4 kg/212 lb) Muay Thai Championship on June 21, 2012 in his hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma against Mike Sheppard, the man who previously defeated him in the WCL.
[6][7] He outpointed Cooper over three rounds, winning by unanimous decision and advancing to the K-1 World Grand Prix 2012 in Tokyo final 16 on October 14, 2012,[8][9][10][11] where he was drawn against eventual champion Mirko Cro Cop.
[14][15][16] He rebounded from his first defeat less than a month later, knocking out fellow K-1 veteran Deutsch Pu'u with a third round high kick at Xtreme Fight Night 10 in Tulsa on November 16, 2012.
[32][33][34] Following this, Blake returned to the XFL promotion in Oklahoma where he scored three consecutive wins over Roy Boughton, Wayman Carter and Joe Yager, respectively, between November 2013 and January 2014.
[35] He again spent time at a different camp in the lead up to the fight, training with the Blackzilians in Boca Raton, Florida where his sparring partners included Anthony Johnson, Thiago Silva and Tyrone Spong.
[39] Blake defended his XFL title against Lucas Overcast, Brian McVea, Tony Lopez, Aundre Groce, Zach Gerullis, Demoreo Dennis and Evan Nedd.