After suffering the first TKO loss of his career against Neil Magny, Hector Lombard will be making a return to the middleweight division.

After a dominant 1st round against Neil Magny at UFC Fight Night 85, Hector Lombard looked to be on his way to an eventual stoppage in the co-main event. The tides soon turned, however, when the former Bellator middleweight champion looked notably exhausted responding to the buzzer.

Magny began landing several combinations on a stationary target and battered the Judoka on the ground. Referee Steve Perceval had finally seen enough in the third round and intervened to prevent Lombard from further damage.

It marked the Cuban-Australian’s fourth fight at welterweight and the first stoppage of his career. Following the loss, which Lombard partly attributes to the newly-introduced IV ban, the 38-year-old announced his return to the middleweight division.

“I asked my body to perform, but I got no reply,” Lombard posted on Instagram yesterday (h/t MMA Junkie). “When your body says no and stops functioning there is nothing you can do about it. I’m very happy to be back fighting at my original weight 185. Now with no IV allowed, I will be able to fight in a healthier weight for me.”

Lombard had mixed success in the UFC at 185-pounds, dropping split-decision losses to Tim Boetsch and Yushin Okami, but looked to be reinvigorated as a welterweight contender. The former Olympian won three straight and looked to be on the verge of title contention before testing positive for anabolic steroids at UFC 182. His win over Josh Burkman was overturned to a No Contest and Lombard was suspended for 12 months.

Although Lombard will be returning to middleweight, the American Top Team Fighter will face a six-month medical suspension following the sustained beating he received at UFC Brisbane.

After suffering the first TKO loss of his career against Neil Magny, Hector Lombard will be making a return to the middleweight division.

After a dominant 1st round against Neil Magny at UFC Fight Night 85, Hector Lombard looked to be on his way to an eventual stoppage in the co-main event. The tides soon turned, however, when the former Bellator middleweight champion looked notably exhausted responding to the buzzer.

Magny began landing several combinations on a stationary target and battered the Judoka on the ground. Referee Steve Perceval had finally seen enough in the third round and intervened to prevent Lombard from further damage.

It marked the Cuban-Australian’s fourth fight at welterweight and the first stoppage of his career. Following the loss, which Lombard partly attributes to the newly-introduced IV ban, the 38-year-old announced his return to the middleweight division.

“I asked my body to perform, but I got no reply,” Lombard posted on Instagram yesterday (h/t MMA Junkie). “When your body says no and stops functioning there is nothing you can do about it. I’m very happy to be back fighting at my original weight 185. Now with no IV allowed, I will be able to fight in a healthier weight for me.”

Lombard had mixed success in the UFC at 185-pounds, dropping split-decision losses to Tim Boetsch and Yushin Okami, but looked to be reinvigorated as a welterweight contender. The former Olympian won three straight and looked to be on the verge of title contention before testing positive for anabolic steroids at UFC 182. His win over Josh Burkman was overturned to a No Contest and Lombard was suspended for 12 months.

Although Lombard will be returning to middleweight, the American Top Team Fighter will face a six-month medical suspension following the sustained beating he received at UFC Brisbane.