Middleweight contender Hector Lombard has a few sharp words for plenty of fighters in the UFC, with some of his harshest criticism pointed at Michael Bisping.
During an interview with MMA Junkie, the former Bellator champion discussed a wide range of topics, talking about fighting at his adoptive home in Australia, death threats from the Japanese mafia and everything that he thinks is wrong with mixed martial arts today.
When asked about a recent encounter with Michael Bisping, Lombard revealed that he wasn’t impressed in the least by the famous Englishman:
The funny thing for me is this sport has become a joke. And no disrespect, but it’s become a joke with all these fighters trying to copy Chael Sonnen. OK, Chael was the original, right? It’s good for him what he became with all his media trash, which I have respect for him, because he was the first person who came up with the idea. And now, what’s this douchebag that’s always talking s— about me? Michael Bisping. He thinks that he’s funny. Now, he’s just copying him.
Bisping has been a noted trash-talker ever since he first stepped into the spotlight on The Ultimate Fighter, but the quick rise of Sonnen has apparently drawn a lot of comparisons between the two UFC stars. But it’s not just the talking that bothers Lombard:
I actually saw him at the elevator, and Michael Bisping has got the smallest hands I’ve ever seen in my life. He says I’m a midget. OK. Fair enough. But I squeeze his hand – I didn’t want to shake his hand, but I said, I don’t want to leave you like that because I have a little bit of education – and he was about to cry, so I let it go.
Both Lombard and Bisping are gunning for shots at the UFC Middleweight Championship, currently held by pound-for-pound kingpin Anderson Silva.
Lombard faces off against dangerous submission specialist Rousimar Palhares in the main card of UFC on FX 6 on Saturday, with a title shot potentially hanging in the balance. Lombard made his UFC debut last July, where he was upset by decision against former light heavyweight Tim Boetsch.
Bisping has a risky fight of his own coming up in enemy territory, as he faces Vitor Belfort this January 2013 at UFC on FX 7. That match takes place in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and could likely determine the next challenger to Silva’s middleweight title.
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