Hector Lombard Hopes To Fight GSP At Melbourne Arena Show
With the recent announcement that the UFC would be holding a massive event in Melbourne, Australia’s 56,000 seat Etihad Arena, it’s no surprise that one of their favorite MMA sons, No. 6-ranked welterweight Hector Lombard, is looking for a huge fight on the groundbreaking card.
However, you may be surprised at just whom he’s targeting for Australia.
When asked about his desired opponent for the event, the former Bellator middleweight champion, who now fights at welterweight, appeared on Submission Radio to voice his desire to face off with legendary former champion Georges St. Pierre in Melbourne:
“GSP. And like let’s suppose like if I can’t fight for the title for some reason, you know I really would love to [fight GSP]. I know that GSP is coming out of retirement so I really would love to have a big fight between me and GSP in Australia. That would be a shocker, eh?”
That’s quite an ambitious goal, as GSP doesn’t even have concrete plans to return to fighting after vacating the belt in late 2014. If he did, however, Lombard believes that St. Pierre simply wouldn’t be able to take him down and hold him down like he did so many opponents:
“I can take a punch and my wrestling’s improving every day. So it’s going to be very hard for him to get me down and my stand-up, he’s got no chance with me. That’s for sure.”
Bold words from the Cuban-Australian, who has been on the shelf since UFC 171 in March. According to Lombard, several top-level welterweights like Tyron Woodley and Matt Brown have been ducking him, so he signed on to face returning former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) champion Josh Burkman at January 3’s UFC 182.
Lombard touched on the somewhat puzzling bout:
“People say that he lost because he just wanted to get in the UFC and if he would have kept winning he would have never had the opportunity to fight for the UFC, but he’s another former champion that I’m gonna beat. And I’m really looking forward to it.
I know I beat two former Strikeforce champions. This is gonna be the second WSOF champion that I beat, because you know the first one was [Rousimar] Palhares and he’s going to be the second one.”
Big things could be on the horizon for Lombard if and when he gets past Burkman, and obviously at the forefront of his goals is fighting on the Melbourne card. That opportunity only recently arose when MMA was legalized in Victoria, news that greatly excited Lombard.
He views himself as one of few Australian fighters who could actually contend for a UFC belt:
“That’s one of the best news I’ve ever heard lately. And you know I think, I believe I put a lot into it, because I’ve been fighting in Australia for a very long time. I was fighting in Australia for too long I believe. And out of all MMA fighters, I’m the one who fought the most [in Australia].
So I believe I need a chance, you know on getting to fight on the Victorian show. I need a chance to prove that – I heard a lot of people saying that like there’s not many Australians left that can fight for the title. Well, you know, I’m here.”
So Lombard has huge plans for 2015, including a thunderous return to his native lands. Will “Showeather” be able to realize his massive potential at welterweight?
