Hector Lombard has three wins as a UFC welterweight and has already put himself into a place to be considered a top contender within the weight class. He took a decision victory over Josh Burkman at UFC 182 to continue his current run. With this win, it seems like he is on a direct course to face off against Rory MacDonald in a title eliminator in the near future.
Lombard currently sits ranked No. 6 among UFC welterweights. Matt Brown is coming off of a loss, while Tyron Woodley and MacDonald are the only two winners who are currently available above him. MacDonald was at one time pegged as the next man to fight for the welterweight title before having that position stripped from him in favor of a trilogy bout between Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler (via MMA Junkie).
That availability would create the perfect opportunity to get Lombard and MacDonald together to determine a true contender. Lombard mentioned MacDonald by name during the post-fight press conference, and Dana White did not refute the potential matchup.
“Rory makes the most sense for me,” Lombard said. “He’s not going to fight for the title, so that makes sense.” To which White said, “I think he’s right. He could fight Tyron Woodley, Brown, Rory, any of those guys. We will see what happens” (video via MMA Fighting).
As mentioned, Brown is coming off of a loss, and the UFC tends to pair opponents based on their current performances, which could take him out of this equation. Woodley, who is a teammate of Lombard’s, has already been the topic of consideration as an opponent for Lombard. It was actually a major talking point within 2014 that the fight did not happen.
“Everybody wants the fight except Woodley,” said Dana White as reported by Damon Martin of Fox Sports. “He’s made it pretty clear he does not want to fight Hector Lombard.”
If Woodley is as adamant against the fight as White has stated, that leaves only MacDonald as the next opponent in line for the former Olympic Judoka. The UFC could book this bout to occur on the same card as the Hendricks-Lawler rematch to give the event some added security against injuries.
An early preview of a potential MacDonald versus Lombard fight raises some interesting questions. For example, MacDonald has been known to stifle opponents with a steady jab, which throws their game off. This is especially effective against aggressive fighters as it was against both Woodley and Jake Ellenberger. Lombard would have to find a way through this jab and inside if he was to deal with Rory’s ability to fight from range.
If Lombard was to get inside, would Rory be able to deal with Hector’s high-level judo? He’s been taken down before by men such as Demian Maia, and being under Lombard for an extended period of time would be detrimental in any view.
Both men have the ability to win this fight, which would make them a clear favorite to fight for the belt at some point in 2015.
The UFC should book Rory MacDonald against Hector Lombard to see which man will emerge as the next top contender for the 170-pound title. While they are not the most talkative of fighters, they are interesting athletes and dynamic fighters that are at the top of the division, at the right time to make this fight.
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