Hector Lombard is coming off a vicious knock out of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace Rousimar Palhares, securing his first win inside the UFC and the biggest win of his career. Now in the aftermath we are left with the question of who to match the Cuban Aussie power house with next. Here are a few of my choices:
The winner of Stann vs Silva.
Both Brian Stann and Wanderlei Silva are brawlers that would provide an exciting stand up war with Lombard. The only problem is the two are fighting at Light Heavyweight at the moment. If Brian Stann wins he has stated that he is going back down to Middleweight, where as Wanderlei Silva is looking to stay at Light Heavyweight. Personally I think Stann is going to win this so there won’t be a problem, but if Silva gets passed Stann it will show he still has a chin. Remember money talks and Wanderlei is a company man, if Uncle Dana comes knocking, Wanderlei will answer the call.
The winner of Boetsch vs Phillipou.
Lombard vs either Boetsch or Phillipou could potentially be a number one contender fight. If Boetsch wins there could be a rematch in the making with Lombard, both fighters entered injured in their first encounter; thus causing an uneventful bout. If Phillipou wins in impressive fashion a battle with Lombard would be perfect. Both men are exciting and would potentially be a good match ups for Lombard.
Chris Weidman.
Chris Weidman is an option, but don’t expect this one to happen. I don’t see the UFC throwing Weidman their current golden boy against Lombard. Lombard poses too many threats to Weidman, and after an unimpressive bout with Boetsch I don’t see the UFC jumping to give Lombard a title shot if he beats Weidman. Not to mention Weidman is coming off of an injury, as well as the destruction of his home by Hurricane Sandy. It’s been a rough couple of months for Weidman and I think the UFC will give Weidman a tune up fight upon his return.
The loser of Bisping vs Belfort.
Hector Lombard in his post fight interview with Karyn Brant called out Michael Bisping for his next fight. I think this would be an interesting fight, and it probably would have turned into a war. There’s just one problem, and that’s Vitor Belfort. Vitor almost stole Jon Jones’ title in his last fight by way of arm bar, and is now scheduled to fight Bisping in what is possibly a number one contender’s bout. I don’t see Bisping getting past Vitor, and if this happens rather than letting Lombard fight Vitor; I would like to see Lombard fight Bisping. Let Vitor have another shot against Anderson Silva, he earned it for stepping up on short notice against Jones. However if Bisping wins, a bout with Belfort is sure to cause fireworks. Both men are more than willing to stand and bang, and the winner would be one step closer to a title shot.
Written by: Josh Leduc