Hector Lombard became the first Bellator champion to successfully defend a championship, outlasting Alexander Shlemenko to retain the middleweight title in the main event of Bellator 34.
The win didn’t come easily for the Cuban-born Lombard, however. After winning his last two fights in a combined 44 seconds, this one was a marathon, going the full 25 minutes to become the longest fight in his career.
As is his custom, Lombard came out guns blazing in the first round, rocking Shlemenko early as he looked for his fourth straight first-round finish, but Shlemenko weathered the storm and fought gamely throughout.