Tag: Tim Boetsch

UFC 149: If Hector Lombard Defeats Tim Boetsch, He Doesn’t Deserve a Title Shot

The mention of Hector Lombard’s name has been inspiring heated debate amongst hardcore MMA fans for a few years now. Normally, that debate was whether or not he was a Top 10 middleweight. Supporters pointed to his stellar record of 31-2 with one …

The mention of Hector Lombard’s name has been inspiring heated debate amongst hardcore MMA fans for a few years now. Normally, that debate was whether or not he was a Top 10 middleweight.

Supporters pointed to his stellar record of 31-2 with one draw and one no-contest, as well as his current 20-fight win streak—16 of which he finished before the final buzzer.

Detractors point out that his record is padded with low-level fighters, and that the only time he faced top opposition—in the PRIDE 2006 Welterweight Grand Prix—he lost to Akihiro Gono and Gegard Mousasi.

Both sides have an argument, but the detractor’s is much stronger. Lombard’s record is impressive, but so was Jason Reinhardt’s before he arrived in the Octagon.

Since being signed by the UFC in April, the debate has been changed to whether or not Lombard deserves a title shot if he defeats Tim Boetsch at UFC 149—an idea tossed about publicly by Dana White.

Middleweight contenders Michael Bisping and Mark Munoz have been vocal in their condemnation of the idea. To them, it’s a question of simple fairness.

Why should a guy who has been beating low-level fighters outside of the UFC get a title shot after one win when they’ve been grinding it out in the UFC, fighting the best for years?

It’s a fair question. It’s just being asked in an unfair world.

Lombard doesn’t deserve a title shot, per se, but there are other factors involved: the lack of a clear-cut No. 1 contender, for starters.

Michael Bisping may make a strong point against Lombard, but the fact remains that he’s coming off a loss to Chael Sonnen, and typically a fighter has to build up a little streak before earning a title shot. Bisping will get his chance to rebound when he takes on Brian Stann at UFC 152.

Munoz is currently out of the title picture after getting steamrolled by Chris Weidman. And the general consensus on Weidman is that he’s not quite ready for a title shot.

That leaves only two guys: Hector Lombard, or his opponent, Tim Boetsch—who is being completely overlooked in all this drama.

Since dropping to middleweight, Boetsch has posted a solid 3-0 record, including a TKO win over former top contender, Yushin Okami. An impressive win over Lombard, and Boetsch would be as deserving a challenger as there is at 185.

Having so many worthy challengers at middleweight makes the division seem rather chaotic, but that’s a high-class problem.

Wasn’t long ago that middleweight was neck and neck with heavyweight as the weakest division in the sport. In fact, right around the time Lombard was losing in PRIDE, a relatively unknown Brazilian by the name of Anderson Silva was earning himself a UFC title shot after only a single win—a brutal knockout over Chris Leben.

But that was then, when the division was horribly shallow. This is now. And because business decisions are often based, justifiably, on expediency rather than merit, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Lombard get a title shot if he wins at UFC 149, especially if he wins impressively.

Considering 90 percent of the sport’s top talent is in the UFC, it’s nothing but speculative to proclaim top status to a fighter who made his bones outside of the UFC. Case in point: Jorge Santiago.

Hector Lombard may very well be the Second Coming. We simply do not know because he hasn’t been facing the best of the best. If he’s victorious against Boetsch, then he should have to face another top contender.

But that’s in a fair world.

In the real world, the UFC may see fit to grant him a title shot based on their business needs—and there’s nothing at all wrong with that—but he does not deserve a title shot.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Tim Boetsch Discusses Michael Bisping’s Running Shoes & Hector Lombard

I wanted to see Michael Bisping vs. Tim Boetsch just as much as the rest of you, which is to say: hardly at all.There’s nothing wrong with the fight, per se. It just wasn’t all that intriguing. Boetsch hasn’t really made his mark on the middleweight di…

I wanted to see Michael Bisping vs. Tim Boetsch just as much as the rest of you, which is to say: hardly at all.

There’s nothing wrong with the fight, per se. It just wasn’t all that intriguing. Boetsch hasn’t really made his mark on the middleweight division just yet, even with the win over Yushin Okami, and I’ve wanted to see Bisping in more high-profile fights for awhile now.

But Boetsch vs. Hector Lombard? That’s an idea I can support.

Both of these fighters are primed to explode with violence at any moment. There’s always a chance that Boetsch could suddenly hulk up and cave your face in with backwards uppercuts, the way he did to Yushin Okami at UFC 144.

And Lombard? Well, dude loves stalking people and punching them in the face. I can get behind this fight.

Boetsch told Full Contact Fighter that he was far more interested in what Lombard brings into the cage: 

It certainly changes the dynamic of the fight. I won’t have to bring my running shoes to catch Hector that’s for darn sure. He’s going to bring the fight to me. It changes a lot about the fight.

Yes, Lombard is going to bring the fight to you, Tim. But that may not be a good thing. At least not for you.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

And Now Michael Bisping Is Injured: UFC 149 Sets Up Lombard vs. Boetsch, UFC on FOX 4 Adds Shogun vs. Vera Headliner

Man, this ain’t even funny anymore. After a brutal two-week period that saw the injury withdrawals of Vitor Belfort, Chad Griggs, Thiago Silva, Jon Fitch, Thiago Alves, and Brian Stann (as well as supporting players like Pablo Garza and Edwin Figueroa), news broke late last night that UFC middleweight star Michael Bisping is out of his meeting with Tim Boetsch at UFC 149 (July 21st, Calgary) due to an undisclosed injury.

Boetsch will remain on the “Aldo vs. Koch” main card against Hector Lombard, who was scheduled to make his Octagon debut at UFC on FOX 4 two weeks later until Brian Stann pulled out with a dinged shoulder. Lombard vs. Boetsch should be a hell of a brawl — unless losing two weeks of preparation throws the former Bellator champ off his game. Who ya got on that one?

With Lombard off of the UFC on FOX 4 lineup, the August 4th event has picked up a brand new main event…

Man, this ain’t even funny anymore. After a brutal two-week period that saw the injury withdrawals of Vitor Belfort, Chad Griggs, Thiago Silva, Jon Fitch, Thiago Alves, and Brian Stann (as well as supporting players like Pablo Garza and Edwin Figueroa), news broke late last night that UFC middleweight star Michael Bisping is out of his meeting with Tim Boetsch at UFC 149 (July 21st, Calgary) due to an undisclosed injury.

Boetsch will remain on the “Aldo vs. Koch” main card against Hector Lombard, who was scheduled to make his Octagon debut at UFC on FOX 4 two weeks later until Brian Stann pulled out with a dinged shoulder. Lombard vs. Boetsch should be a hell of a brawl — unless losing two weeks of preparation throws the former Bellator champ off his game. Who ya got on that one?

With Lombard off of the UFC on FOX 4 lineup, the August 4th event has picked up a brand new main event…

The UFC has confirmed that Mauricio “Shogun” Rua will now headline the card against Brandon Vera. Shogun is coming off his 2011 Fight of the Year against Dan Henderson at UFC 139 last November, while Vera most recently out-pointed Eliot Marshall at UFC 137 in October — his first victory in over two years. Before he was drafted for this card, Vera was originally supposed to face James Te-Huna at UFC on Fuel TV 4 on July 11th.

Does “The Truth” deserve a headlining spot on a major UFC card at this point? Probably not. But as you can see, the UFC is losing warm bodies on a daily basis, and their options are limited. Where’s your God reason and science now, Joe Silva?

[VIDEO] Full UFC 149 Press Conference From Calgary


(We’re sorry, Tom, but it’s just not the same. Photo courtesy of MMAMania.)

Just a couple of hours ago, the UFC held a press conference in Shaw Court, Alberta, Canada, to promote UFC 149: Jose Aldo vs. Some Guy (it’s a joke, take it easy), which is expected to transpire on July 21st from Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Surprisingly absent from the conference was that of UFC President Dana White, who was in turn replaced by Director of Operations for UFC Canada, Tom Wright. Also absent was a hearty supply of French fries and gravy for the fighters involved, which was a real shame in our opinion.

In the co-main event of the evening, the most hated wanted man in the middleweight division, Michael Bisping, will square off against hard nosed slugger Tim Boetsch. Also expected for UFC 149 will be Antonio Rodrigo’s Nogueria’s return to the octagon for the first time since Frank Mir went all Paul Harris on his arm, the difference between their UFC 140 scrap and the average Paul Harris fight being that Nog waited until after Mir broke his arm to tap, not the other way around. Anyway, Big Nog will be squaring off against the inconsistent but always dangerous Cheick Kongo, who is coming off a knockout loss at the hands of Mark Hunt at UFC 144.

Check out the full video and lineup after the jump. 


(We’re sorry, Tom, but it’s just not the same. Photo courtesy of MMAMania.)

Just a couple of hours ago, the UFC held a press conference in Shaw Court, Alberta, Canada, to promote UFC 149: Jose Aldo vs. Some Guy (it’s a joke, take it easy), which is expected to transpire on July 21st from Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Surprisingly absent from the conference was that of UFC President Dana White, who was in turn replaced by Director of Operations for UFC Canada, Tom Wright. Also absent was a hearty supply of French fries and gravy for the fighters involved, which was a real shame in our opinion.

In the co-main event of the evening, the most hated wanted man in the middleweight division, Michael Bisping, will square off against hard nosed slugger Tim Boetsch. Also expected for UFC 149 will be Antonio Rodrigo’s Nogueria’s return to the octagon for the first time since Frank Mir went all Paul Harris on his arm, the difference between their UFC 140 scrap and the average Paul Harris fight being that Nog waited until after Mir broke his arm to tap, not the other way around. Anyway, Big Nog will be squaring off against the inconsistent but always dangerous Cheick Kongo, who is coming off a knockout loss at the hands of Mark Hunt at UFC 144.

Check out the full video and lineup below.

UFC 149 Lineup

  • Champ Jose Aldo vs. Erik Koch (for featherweight title)
  • Michael Bisping vs. Tim Boetsch
  • Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Thiago Silva
  • Cheick Kongo vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
  • Siyar Bahadurzada vs. Thiago Alves
  • Jon Fitch vs. Aaron Simpson
  • Antonio Carvalho vs. George Roop
  • Bryan Caraway vs. Mitch Gagnon
  • Mitch Clarke vs. Anton Kuivanen
  • Ryan Jimmo vs. Anthony Perosh
  • Court McGee vs. Nick Ring

–J. Jones

Jake Shields Officially Returns to Middleweight, Faces Ed Herman at UFC 150


(That’ll teach Antonio Banuelos to try and fingerbang Ronda Rousey.) 

After compiling a 2-2 octagon record at welterweight (well, 1-3 depending on how you personally scored the Martin Kampmann fight), it looks like former Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields will be returning to 185 this summer, and will be taking on the resurgent Ed Herman at UFC 150, which goes down on August 11th from the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. UFC President Dana White was the first to break the news, via his Twitter:

UFC 150 Sat Aug 11 Denver, CO Middleweight Bout Ed Herman VS Jake Shields. I like that fight!

Shields is coming off a unanimous decision victory over the struggling Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 144 in February. Although he was able to walk away with the victory and snap a two-fight losing streak in the process, he did find himself on the wrong end of more than one fantastic Judo throw. So you tell us who the real winner was…

…still Shields? Fine, let’s move on.

TUF 3 runner-up Ed Herman, on the other hand, has looked pretty spectacular as of late, and will be looking to build upon a current three-fight win streak that includes wins over scrappy TUF 7 veteran Tim Credeur and TUF 11 alum Kyle Noke. Is it just us, or does it seem like nearly everyone in the UFC can be tied back to The Ultimate Fighter at some point in their career? It’s like the Kevin Bacon of MMA these days. Anyway, Shields should be a considerable favorite coming into this one, but given Herman’s growing trajectory, as well as Shields’ rather mediocre performances in the octagon thus far, “Short Fuse” could be a solid pick for you gamblers, who should already be rolling in the green if you followed our advice.

And in other fight booking, or rather, fight shuffling news…


(That’ll teach Antonio Banuelos to try and fingerbang Ronda Rousey.) 

After compiling a 2-2 octagon record at welterweight (well, 1-3 depending on how you personally scored the Martin Kampmann fight), it looks like former Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields will be returning to 185 this summer, and will be taking on the resurgent Ed Herman at UFC 150, which goes down on August 11th from the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. UFC President Dana White was the first to break the news, via his Twitter:

UFC 150 Sat Aug 11 Denver, CO Middleweight Bout Ed Herman VS Jake Shields. I like that fight!

Shields is coming off a unanimous decision victory over the struggling Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 144 in February. Although he was able to walk away with the victory and snap a two-fight losing streak in the process, he did find himself on the wrong end of more than one fantastic Judo throw. So you tell us who the real winner was…

…still Shields? Fine, let’s move on.

TUF 3 runner-up Ed Herman, on the other hand, has looked pretty spectacular as of late, and will be looking to build upon a current three-fight win streak that includes wins over scrappy TUF 7 veteran Tim Credeur and TUF 11 alum Kyle Noke. Is it just us, or does it seem like nearly everyone in the UFC can be tied back to The Ultimate Fighter at some point in their career? It’s like the Kevin Bacon of MMA these days. Anyway, Shields should be a considerable favorite coming into this one, but given Herman’s growing trajectory, as well as Shields’ rather mediocre performances in the octagon thus far, “Short Fuse” could be a solid pick for you gamblers, who should already be rolling in the green if you followed our advice.

And in other fight booking, or rather, fight shuffling news…

Those of you hoping to see Michael Bisping and Tim Boetsch throw down at UFC 148 are in for some shitty news, because MMAWeekly reported last night that the middleweight showdown between “The Count” and “The Barbarian” has been moved from UFC 148 to the UFC 149: Clusterfuck event which goes down in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on July 21st. The reasoning for this shuffle has yet to be revealed, but we’ll let you know if any specific details arise.

And in incredibly vague fight booking news, it’s looking like the rumors that Jon Jones could be defending his belt yet again at UFC 149 against Dan Henderson are all but a complete fabrication at this point, as Jones’ manager, Malki Kawa, told MMAFighting that Jones would not be participating on the Calgary card, stating, “It’s just probably a little too soon. There’s been no timetable yet but July probably isn’t going to happen.” It is now rumored that an August or September return is likely for “Bones,” who has been an absolute workhorse this past year, knocking off four consecutive former champions (three of them by way of stoppage) in just over 11 months.

So who do you like for Shields’ return to middleweight, Potato Nation?

-J. Jones

Jake Shields Officially Returns to Middleweight, Faces Ed Herman at UFC 150


(That’ll teach Antonio Banuelos to try and fingerbang Ronda Rousey.) 

After compiling a 2-2 octagon record at welterweight (well, 1-3 depending on how you personally scored the Martin Kampmann fight), it looks like former Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields will be returning to 185 this summer, and will be taking on the resurgent Ed Herman at UFC 150, which goes down on August 11th from the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. UFC President Dana White was the first to break the news, via his Twitter:

UFC 150 Sat Aug 11 Denver, CO Middleweight Bout Ed Herman VS Jake Shields. I like that fight!

Shields is coming off a unanimous decision victory over the struggling Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 144 in February. Although he was able to walk away with the victory and snap a two-fight losing streak in the process, he did find himself on the wrong end of more than one fantastic Judo throw. So you tell us who the real winner was…

…still Shields? Fine, let’s move on.

TUF 3 runner-up Ed Herman, on the other hand, has looked pretty spectacular as of late, and will be looking to build upon a current three-fight win streak that includes wins over scrappy TUF 7 veteran Tim Credeur and TUF 11 alum Kyle Noke. Is it just us, or does it seem like nearly everyone in the UFC can be tied back to The Ultimate Fighter at some point in their career? It’s like the Kevin Bacon of MMA these days. Anyway, Shields should be a considerable favorite coming into this one, but given Herman’s growing trajectory, as well as Shields’ rather mediocre performances in the octagon thus far, “Short Fuse” could be a solid pick for you gamblers, who should already be rolling in the green if you followed our advice.

And in other fight booking, or rather, fight shuffling news…


(That’ll teach Antonio Banuelos to try and fingerbang Ronda Rousey.) 

After compiling a 2-2 octagon record at welterweight (well, 1-3 depending on how you personally scored the Martin Kampmann fight), it looks like former Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields will be returning to 185 this summer, and will be taking on the resurgent Ed Herman at UFC 150, which goes down on August 11th from the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. UFC President Dana White was the first to break the news, via his Twitter:

UFC 150 Sat Aug 11 Denver, CO Middleweight Bout Ed Herman VS Jake Shields. I like that fight!

Shields is coming off a unanimous decision victory over the struggling Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 144 in February. Although he was able to walk away with the victory and snap a two-fight losing streak in the process, he did find himself on the wrong end of more than one fantastic Judo throw. So you tell us who the real winner was…

…still Shields? Fine, let’s move on.

TUF 3 runner-up Ed Herman, on the other hand, has looked pretty spectacular as of late, and will be looking to build upon a current three-fight win streak that includes wins over scrappy TUF 7 veteran Tim Credeur and TUF 11 alum Kyle Noke. Is it just us, or does it seem like nearly everyone in the UFC can be tied back to The Ultimate Fighter at some point in their career? It’s like the Kevin Bacon of MMA these days. Anyway, Shields should be a considerable favorite coming into this one, but given Herman’s growing trajectory, as well as Shields’ rather mediocre performances in the octagon thus far, “Short Fuse” could be a solid pick for you gamblers, who should already be rolling in the green if you followed our advice.

And in other fight booking, or rather, fight shuffling news…

Those of you hoping to see Michael Bisping and Tim Boetsch throw down at UFC 148 are in for some shitty news, because MMAWeekly reported last night that the middleweight showdown between “The Count” and “The Barbarian” has been moved from UFC 148 to the UFC 149: Clusterfuck event which goes down in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on July 21st. The reasoning for this shuffle has yet to be revealed, but we’ll let you know if any specific details arise.

And in incredibly vague fight booking news, it’s looking like the rumors that Jon Jones could be defending his belt yet again at UFC 149 against Dan Henderson are all but a complete fabrication at this point, as Jones’ manager, Malki Kawa, told MMAFighting that Jones would not be participating on the Calgary card, stating, “It’s just probably a little too soon. There’s been no timetable yet but July probably isn’t going to happen.” It is now rumored that an August or September return is likely for “Bones,” who has been an absolute workhorse this past year, knocking off four consecutive former champions (three of them by way of stoppage) in just over 11 months.

So who do you like for Shields’ return to middleweight, Potato Nation?

-J. Jones