With his victory over Falaniko Vitale at last Saturday's Bellator 44, Hector Lombard extended the longest current winning streak in Mixed Martial Arts to 23 victories, as he hasn't lost in 5 years. For Lombard (29-2-1), the victory was par for the course, as when the ref waved it off he just smiled and looked at the crowd as he made yet another opponent look silly with his right hand.
However, as great as he has looked in his non-title "Superfights", the first defense of his 185 lb. title (which happened during season 3's Bellator 34), was quite ordinary. After throwing a wild flurry of punches in the first 5 minutes against the Russian Alexander Shlemenko, the former Cuban Olympian in Judo proceeded to hold down the challenger for the final 20 minutes, with everybody (including Shlemenko) shocked and appalled at the lackluster performance. Hector Lombard's comment when the fight was brought up during Friday's weigh-in for Bellator 44 was "all I care about is winning".
Its difficult to argue with the statement, as in the world of Mixed Martial Arts, that is really all that matters.
So, with the acquisition of Strikeforce by Zuffa, and with the the majority of good 185 lb. fighters under their umbrella, how would Lombard fare in the UFC?
The question is hard to gauge : Despite the win streak, the only 2 names on Lombard's resume that ring a bell to the casual Mixed Martial Arts fan would be current Strikeforce vet Gegard Mousasi and Pride veteran Akihiro Gono. Both ended in unanimous decision losses for Lombard. While the argument could be made that the Cuban was clearly raw (those were his 6th and 9th fights as a professional, respectively), the same argument can be made that his lack of cardio and size were disadvantages to him, as a bigger fighter like Mousasi could use his large frame and positioning to keep Lombard at bay, and Gono was able to weather an early storm and grind the rest of the fight out. However, since then, he has defeated such UFC vets as Vitale and Jay Silva, with the victory over Silva being a Bellator record 6 seconds.
The simple answer is this : As a 185 lb. fighter in the UFC, Lombard's small frame would put him at a clear disadvantage against the likes of Chael Sonnen, Nathan Marquardt, Michael Bisping and Brian Stann. He would be a Rousimar Palhares-type fighter, who would remain competitive but without a quick maneuver or two (like a heel hook), would lose several close decisions. However, at 170 lbs, he might be formidable competitor, perhaps a contender, due to his explosiveness and one punch knockout power.
But since this is all speculative, let's take solace in what he is right now : A man who despite his victories over less-notable fighters, provides us with a guilty pleasure, who will use the "Lightning" in his fists to simply knock those fighters out. And have a lot of fun while doing it.
-In other news, MMAJunkie has reported that UFC veteran Antonio McKee vs Shinya Aoki is cleared for "Dream 17 : Fight for Japan" on May 29th. Honestly, I'm no fan of Aoki (know you guys are getting tired of hearing that) but I'm hoping his countrymen cheer him on and he gets a victory.
-Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Noguiera has gone on record to say that he will fight at UFC 133 in Rio this August, as he told Brazilian Television's "Global Esporte", as reported by ESPN.com/Sherdog. He says that
“The biggest MMA promotion in the world will be back in Brazil after 14 years and I’ll be there, steady and strong.”, and goes onto say that he's looking forward to fighting in the co-main event. Its odd, but nobody in the UFC brass has confirmed this. Though recent reports have surfaced that prospect Brandan Schaub, fresh off sending the Brazilian's old sparring buddy Mirko "Cro Cop" into imminent retirement, is lobbying to be his opponent. My hope is that Minotauro turns back the clock and puts on a show.
-Its not turning the clock back, but Gilbert Yvel and Tony Lopez have been confirmed for an Edmonton, Alberta based Colosseo Fighting Championship card to take place sometime this spring, reported by Junkie. According to the promoters, this fight will feature "Pride" Style rules, with soccer kicks and stomps to the head legal. Really, I enjoyed the Japanese style fights....but this is what got MMA in hot water in North America in the first place.
Questions? Comments? leave one or e-mail me at mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com
Until next time, fight fans.
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