» Fighter: Hector Lombard

Fighters.com’s tenth-ranked middleweight “Ely” Paulo Filho (16-1) fill fight Bellator middleweight champion “Shango” Hector Lombard (25-2-1) for the title at Bellator May 20, according to a Tatame report.

Read More About Bellator: Paulo Filho Versus Champion Hector Lombard Reported…

It was announced today that Bellator just inked 6-foot, 3-inch “The Beast” Bryan Baker (11-1) for the season two middleweight tournament. The constant announcements of signed fighters for the up-coming season means we will see plenty of exciting fights. Bellator is doing exactly what they need to in order to build the organization but will the fans show their support and buy tickets?

Read More About Bellator to Give Fans Exciting Fights, Will Fans Attend?…

“Shango” Hector Lombard (16-2-1) has joined American Top Team, ATT General Manager Richie Guerrero confirmed to MMA Junkie Thursday.

The Olympic judoka from Cuba joins WEC Lightweight Champion Mike Thomas Brown (15-4), Fighters.com’s tenth-ranked lightweight “JZ” Gesias Cavalcante (12-1-1), top welterweight contender “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (16-3), and Denis Kang (32-10-1), among others, at the Florida-based gym.

Lombard, who has fought in PRIDE, DEEP, and SpiritMC, held onto his Cage Fighting Championship middleweight belt in September when he forced Brian Ebersole (37-13-1) to verbally submit in round four.

Lombard has not lost since November 2006, when Gegard Mousasi (13-2-1) took the unanimous decision.

Lombard was scheduled to fight 8 November versus “Hands of Steel” Scott Smith (13-6) at EliteXC, but the show was cancelled and its parent company, ProElite, has since folded.

“Hands of Steel” Scott Smith (13-5; 1NC) versus “Shango” Hector Lombard (17-2-1; 1NC) has been officially added to the EliteXC: A Night of Champions card 8 November in Reno.

Smith last fought in July and was TKO’d in the second round by Fighters.com’s fourth-ranked middleweight and EliteXC champion “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (16-4; 1NC).

It was their rematch after an eye poke resulted in a No Contest in May.

Lombard, the Cage Fighting Championship title-holder and Olympic judoka, last fought in September when he forced Brian Ebersole (36-15; 1 NC) to verbally submit in round four.

Lombard’s most recent loss was to DREAM Middleweight Champion Gegard Mousasi (24-2-1) November 2006.

EliteXC Vice President Jared Shaw has confirmed that the organization’s 8 November event will take place in Reno, reported MMA Junkie Friday.

Shaw said, “We’re going to have a huge card in November.  We’re going to be in Reno, Nevada.  It’s going to be fantastic.”

Shaw also confirmed that “Feijao” Rafael Cavalcante (7-1) will be on the card and may face “Snake” Cyrille Diabate (12-6-1), although whether it will be a title fight is yet to be determined.

“[We've] spoken about Cyrille Diabate, but it’s not definitive that that’s going to be his opponent,” Shaw said.

“Until we have a definitive opponent, we do not know if we will introduce the light-heavyweight title.  When we are ready to introduce the light heavyweight title, there is no doubt that ‘Feijao’ will be in a fight for that title.  He’s without a doubt the No. 1 fighter that we have in the light heavyweight division.”

Cavalcante last fought in July, TKO’ing “Gladiator” Travis Galbraith (15-6) in round one.

Diabate won a unanimous decision over Jaime Fletcher (6-4) in August.

Another bout under consideration is “Hands of Steel” Scott Smith (13-5) versus “Shango” Hector Lombard (17-2-1).

Shaw said, “We have a tentative agreement for Scott Smith to take on Hector Lombard.  I think that would be a fantastic fight.”

Smith is coming off a second-round TKO loss to Fighters.com’s fourth-ranked middleweight and EliteXC champ “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (16-4) in July.

Lombard last fought in September versus Brian Ebersole (36-15), who verbally tapped in the fourth round.

One fighter who may not make it onto the card is “Grim” Brett Rogers (8-0).

“Brett Rogers hasn’t been decided yet,” Shaw said.  “We’re still talking with his camp.  He had a couple of personal issues, and we’re just making sure that he has enough time to be prepared.  We spoke, and it’s nothing else.  It’s not contracts, it’s just a couple personal issues.

“We want to make sure we get the best possible Brett Rogers at all times.  If we’re able to go with him, then he’ll be there.”

Rogers TKO’d Jon Murphy (4-3) in 1:01 in May.

The event will be headlined by Lawler in a title fight with Joey Villasenor (26-6) and also features a 160-pound title bout between Fighters.com’s third-ranked lightweight Eddie Alvarez (15-1) and Nick Diaz (18-7).  It airs on Showtime.

UFC middleweight Kazuhiro Nakamura (11-7) revealed on his blog today that the judoka-turned-fighter is brushing up on the sweet science.

Nakamura is training with Japanese cruiserweight boxer Ryosuke Takahashi, a former Oriental & Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) Cruiserweight Champion with a 17-5 boxing record.  The OPBF is a minor title under the World Boxing Council umbrella of 11 regional sanctioning federations.

Nakamura is set to battle Fighters.com’s fourth-ranked light heavyweight “The African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (4-2) in an all-judo showdown on the undercard of UFC 84.

Sokoudjou posted Tuesday on his blog that he’s training with Olympic judoka’s “Shango” Hector Lombard (15-2-1) of Cuba and Pawel Nastula (1-3) of Poland, evidently expecting his fight with Nakamura to be more of a demonstration of circle theory.

“I am delighted to make it official that Hector [Lombard] has signed with us,” ProElite Live Events President Gary Shaw announced Friday.

Lombard (15-2-1) is a 185-pound Cuban Olympic judoka who now fights out of Australia.

“He is an elite athlete, no doubt about that, and he was very sought-after, so for us, this is a very strong acquisition,” Shaw added.

Lombard fought twice in PRIDE in 2006, losing by unanimous decision to Gegard Mousasi (20-2-1) and Akihiro Gono (28-12-7).  He hasn’t lost since the “L” to Mousasi and is the reigning Cage Fighting Championships middleweight titlist in Australia.

Shaw said, “Fans are in for a real treat.  Hector is one of the most talented and explosive fighters I’ve ever seen.  There may not be any other fighter in his divisions with more explosive strength and athleticism.  He is a real crowd-pleasing fighter.  It is unreal how he delivers those judo throws and power slams.”

Lombard said, “Signing with EliteXC should provide my career with a massive boost and is a great opportunity.  I feel I am ready to fight the best they have to offer.  The fact I have the freedom to fight outside EliteXC is huge for me, too.”

Lombard could quickly ascend to challenge for one of the 185-pound titles under the ProElite banner currently held by Fighters.com’s sixth-ranked middleweight “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (15-4) in EliteXC, Cung Le (6-0) in Strikeforce, and Kala Kolohe Hose (6-1) in Icon.  He has also expressed an ability to fight at 170-pounds.