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.
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