Author: Rob Tatum

On August 4, former Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard will make his long-awaited UFC debut at UFC on Fox 4.

Welcoming Lombard and his 25-fight undefeated streak to the Octagon will be Brian Stann. The matchup between the two sluggers is not only expected to produce fireworks but could also help determine the next contender at 185 pounds.

Without a doubt, the pressure is on Stann heading into this fight.

The former Marine and WEC light heavyweight champion has put together a run of 4-1 since dropping to middleweight in late 2010, with his only loss coming to current No. 1 contender Chael Sonnen. A loss to Lombard would send Stann tumbling back to the middle of the pack in the division.

For Lombard, the fight is a win-win situation.

If he can best Stann, he not only makes a statement to the UFC and its fans, but he proves that his unblemished run over the past five years was no joke. And even if he falls to Stann, he will have lost to a heavy-handed, top-10 opponent in his promotional debut—which is nothing to be ashamed of.

What may make the task of spoiling Lombard’s debut more daunting for Stann is the fact that the Cuban juggernaut has never been finished in his 35 career fights. Combine that with the fact that he has finished his opponent in 24 of his 31 victories and defeating Lombard becomes quite the tall order, even for a veteran like Stann.

Despite the odds being stacked against him, Stann has the skill set to play spoiler.

After all, nine of his 12 wins have come by way of strikes. The power in his hands has been the difference against other experienced strikers like Chris Leben and Alessio Sakara. Also in Stann’s favor is the fact that the only time he was finished via strikes was in 2008 to Steve Cantwell—a man that he also defeated twice.

A win for either fighter may mean a title shot, and depending on who comes out victorious between current divisional kingpin Anderson Silva and the aforementioned Chael Sonnen on July 7, there may be extra stakes at risk for Stann against Lombard. If Sonnen were to come out on top, a win for Stann may earn him a chance to exact revenge on the only man to defeat him at 185 pounds.

Certainly both Lombard and Stann will be swinging for the fences once the cage door shuts, but the man known as “All American” has much more to risk than his debuting foe.

On Aug. 4, we’ll find out if the former Marine is up for the challenge.

 

Rob Tatum is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. You can also find Rob’s work at The MMA Corner. For anything related to MMA, follow him on Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Fifteen minutes of nonstop action. That’s a typical bout in the flyweight division.

When Joseph Benavidez meets the winner of the Demetrious Johnson-Ian McCall rematch, that nonstop action may extend to a full 25 minutes with the title on the line.

That should be more than enough for any MMA fan to get excited about.

Although the UFC is just beginning to fill the roster of its newly formed 125-pound division, the relentless pace and intensity of the “little” guys should be more than enough for fans to take notice.

If the first two bouts within the division, featuring the aforementioned Benavidez, Johnson and McCall, as well as Yasuhiro Urushitani, weren’t enough to convince you, then the two bouts at UFC on Fox 3 should have done the trick.

Former Ultimate Fighter winner John Dodson welcomed Tim Elliott to the Octagon and the two engaged in an erratic and sometimes acrobatic display of striking. At one point, Elliott even did a cartwheel.

The Dodson-Elliott fight was “boring” compared to the other flyweight bout on the card between another TUF alum, Louis Gaudinot and Brazilian John Lineker.

In less than two rounds, the two fighters fired off more than 400 strikes, with neither backing down from the exchanges. As the fighters took turns rocking one another, they frequently high-fived each other to acknowledge the other’s efforts.

Gaudinot then put icing on the cake, choking Lineker unconscious with a guillotine choke near the end of the second round.

How’s that for excitement?

One thing is for certain, the flyweight division will never be plagued by cardio problems. In fact, the biggest problem for fans may be not blinking whenever the “little” guys enter the cage.

And it is only getting started. The current UFC roster has less than 10 fighters in the division. With time, that will grow and so will the excitement. So the next time you see a flyweight matchup on a fight card, make sure you’re paying attention.

 

Rob Tatum is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. You can also find Rob’s work at The MMA Corner. For anything related to MMA, follow him on Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Nothing is for certain in the UFC heavyweight division.

No fighter exemplifies that more than Lavar Johnson. The Strikeforce import was brought to the Octagon riding a two-fight losing streak and has since put together a two-fight winning streak.

So where does Johnson go from here?

Although the heavyweight division has gotten deeper in recent years, finding an ideal matchup for Johnson is tougher than you think.

Here’s a look at five fights that could be in his near future.

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