Mixed Martial Arts Forum banner

Demand for Hector Lombard?

3K views 25 replies 19 participants last post by  slapstick 
#1 ·
So Lombard goes 22-0-1 in his last 23 fights, with a KO over Vitale last night. I know that Lombard wants to face the best but is under contract at the moment, but is there a big demand for him from fans in general, and from the UFC?

Any info on the UFC's thoughts/potential plans for him would be great. I was expecting Falcao to shake the division up but he's gone now, and Hector would easily have the same effect. With Strikeforce now under Zuffa, you really have to be under Zuffa to be considered world class and it would be tragic if Lombard never got to make a mark there, he is now 33.

I don't have twitter but is there enough demand to create a twitter assault on Dana about it? I feel they need to approach Hector and make things happen, if the situation turned Fedor-ish, it would be a real shame.
 
#2 ·
i've trained with hector the man is a beast like a way more well rounded and stronger palhares minus the leglocks, i think he is comfortable beating up whoever is in bellator and earning good cash
 
#4 ·
Anyone who has seen his fight last night is gonna have some questions about his abilities. Lombard is very fast, explosive and powerful but he just throws bombs so he would never be a threat to Anderson Silva's crown. Hector has looked good in Bellator but there is a huge talent gap between guys like Vitale and the likes of Silva, Sonnen, Belfort and Okami.
 
#5 ·
He was supposed to debut at UFC 78 a few years ago, according to Wikipedia, not sure how reliable that is, but it would have been interesting if he had came to the UFC.
 
#7 ·
I wouldn't say Hector just throws bombs, he does have power and uses that as his primary offense, with his great judo background to fall back on.

Whether he'd be top dog in the UFC or not, I think it's time to see how he'd fare. End of the day he's on an 18 fight win streak, he is well rounded and there are some very exciting matches for him.
 
#12 ·
There is definitely demand for a guy like Lombard in the UFC. Is he ready for top talent? That is debatable, but he may be able to rise to the occasion.

In order to go from good to 'elite', you need to surround yourself and fight the absolute best. I remember seeing Lombard losing a few fights in PRIDE back in the day, but since then has amassed a huge streak (albeit padded in my opinion).

Get him in with a nice boxing camp to get some crisp combos/footwork and I tell you what... we'll see one scary dude.

There's always scary, raw talent out there.... it just needs to be exploited and nurtured.

Enough with this sub par talent in Bellator, get over to UFC/Strikeforce now Lombard! :thumb02:
 
#13 ·
I definitely want Lombard in the UFC, he would be a top 10 MW at least IMO. He is a world class judoka, and he is absolutely JACKED and a great athlete with a gas tank. He has KO power and he just KOed Vitale who has beaten Yushin Okami, the guy now fighting for the UFC MW title.

Thus, according to MMAth, Lomabrd should be fighting for the UFC title!
 
#14 ·
He is on my short list of guys that I would like to see go to the UFC. I think he has the raw power and athleticism to become a title contender, but I doubt he'd ever take the title. It really is a shame that he is fighting in his prime against inferior opponents. I don't really care where you fight if you have a 23 fight unbeaten streak you should be fighting with the big boys.
 
#15 ·
LOL The UFC is where the big boys are...in the Middleweight division :confused03:

I'm sorry this is the same division that took years for Chael Sonnen and Yushin Okami to get thier title shots. The same division that has it's champion move up to Light Heavyweight when ever he feels like it. The same division that wants both a former HW champion in Belfort and a WW champion in Pierre to fight for the title over any other competition. A division that let Dan Henderson go, dropped Jake Shields to WW, and gives Michael Bisping and Nate Marquardt main event slots while keeping other title contenders like Paul Harris, Okami, Maia, Miller (Jason and Dan!), and Stann on the unaired prelims.

Yeah Hector Lombard was stupid to main event and knock people out in the indies when he could go to the UFC and be highlighted on "facebook".
 
#16 ·
LOL The UFC is where the big boys are...in the Middleweight division :confused03:

I'm sorry this is the same division that took years for Chael Sonnen and Yushin Okami to get thier title shots. The same division that has it's champion move up to Light Heavyweight when ever he feels like it. The same division that wants both a former HW champion in Belfort and a WW champion in Pierre to fight for the title over any other competition. A division that let Dan Henderson go, dropped Jake Shields to WW, and gives Michael Bisping and Nate Marquardt main event slots while keeping other title contenders like Paul Harris, Okami, Maia, Miller (Jason and Dan!), and Stann on the unaired prelims.

Yeah Hector Lombard was stupid to main event and knock people out in the indies when he could go to the UFC and be highlighted on "facebook".
....yes? The UFC is generally where the best fighters fight.

Lombard has been like an 8:1 favorite in all his Bellator fights. Say what you want about the UFC MW division, but Lombard needs to stop messing around in a second tier organization if he wants to be considered a top fighter.
 
#17 ·
....yes? The UFC is generally where the best fighters fight.

Lombard has been like an 8:1 favorite in all his Bellator fights. Say what you want about the UFC MW division, but Lombard needs to stop messing around in a second tier organization if he wants to be considered a top fighter.
gladly.

Generally, sure the UFC is where the best fighters fight, BW, LW, WW and LHW divisions are well rounded out for the UFC. The HW and FW are respectable, some might argue that they aren't as great as they could be, but I wouldn't.

But the MW division, the Middleweight division is in the dumpster. Guys who fight for the title are CUT two fights later, guys who fight for some other divisions are headlining cards two fights later. While Leites and Cote are cut after fighting for the title, guys like Maia who win after fighting for the title, move down the card.

One of the big reasons I don't give Anderson Silva that much credit for what he's done is because the MW division is such a joke. The three biggest names, the guys who are main eventing as MW's are Silva, Wanderlei, and Bisping aren't really middleweights but rather light heavyweights. The MW division is basically the B level 205 title.

I look at Strikeforce and I see more true MW's in their Welter weights, Middleweights, and Light Heavyweight divisions than I see with regularity in the UFC. If Lombard just sits and waits the 185ers will come to him because signing with the UFC just means being swallowed up by the 205 machine.

It should make you angry that for a LW or LHW they have to fight over half a dozen times on main cards to work their way up but Brian F'n Stann will beat Santiago and may very well be the next in line for a title shot. He'll have 2 to 3 main card fights, take a shot at Anderson....and likely be cut 2 fights later. The same time it takes Jon Fitch to work his way to another title shot is the UFC life cycle of a MW title contender.
 
#18 ·
gladly.

Generally, sure the UFC is where the best fighters fight, BW, LW, WW and LHW divisions are well rounded out for the UFC. The HW and FW are respectable, some might argue that they aren't as great as they could be, but I wouldn't.

But the MW division, the Middleweight division is in the dumpster. Guys who fight for the title are CUT two fights later, guys who fight for some other divisions are headlining cards two fights later. While Leites and Cote are cut after fighting for the title, guys like Maia who win after fighting for the title, move down the card.

One of the big reasons I don't give Anderson Silva that much credit for what he's done is because the MW division is such a joke. The three biggest names, the guys who are main eventing as MW's are Silva, Wanderlei, and Bisping aren't really middleweights but rather light heavyweights. The MW division is basically the B level 205 title.

I look at Strikeforce and I see more true MW's in their Welter weights, Middleweights, and Light Heavyweight divisions than I see with regularity in the UFC. If Lombard just sits and waits the 185ers will come to him because signing with the UFC just means being swallowed up by the 205 machine.

It should make you angry that for a LW or LHW they have to fight over half a dozen times on main cards to work their way up but Brian F'n Stann will beat Santiago and may very well be the next in line for a title shot. He'll have 2 to 3 main card fights, take a shot at Anderson....and likely be cut 2 fights later. The same time it takes Jon Fitch to work his way to another title shot is the UFC life cycle of a MW title contender.
The UFC's MW division may be lacking a bit in terms of depth, but it's still respectable and definitely the best MW roster out of all other MMA promotions. Hector Lombard should come to the UFC and fight against guys like Bisping, Sonnen, Silva, Stann, and Okami to see where he really stands.
 
#19 ·
And of the five MW's you listed 4 had long careers at 205, and the fifth Okami likely should have been.

I don't even think the UFC would let him fight at 185, Dana will take one look at him, call him tiny and tell him to lose weight and fight at 170.
 
#22 ·
Hector is the real deal. You win 20+ fights in a row and that says something. The dude is a walking highlight reel fighting in Bellator, and could make a statement in the UFC, anyone that thinks less is kidding themselves.
 
#23 ·
Hector is a Top 10 MW.. perhas top 5. Like others have stated, there is a vast difference in the competition in Bellator vs. that of the UFC.

That being said, the MW division is the weak link, and AS has run through everyone. Bringing in Lombard would be fun, but I think he has a lot of flaws to his game that the Top 5 would exploit.

As to whether the UFC has interest in him, Dana claims to have never seen a Bellator event. My guess then is "no."
 
#26 ·
Dana claims to have never seen a Bellator event. My guess then is "no."
Something tells me this is bull lol. Zuffa arn't stupid and will be watching lots of shows for their production and talent, thats what they have scouts for.
 
#25 ·
Was talking in the Bellator section and I think he has a couple more fights left on his contract with Bellator then he can get out of it.

The guy is also getting to that age where explosiveness diminishes, although that said, he has tightened up his striking a lot over the years, he used to be more of a wild man but his become more technical for sure.

I say put Falcao in with him and then bring him to the UFC if he wins that fight. I think he would shake up a lot of these UFC contenders pretty well and maybe only lose to the top few.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top