First up, here are some very fiery quotes by Lombard that’s been compiled by MixedMartialArts.com: “I think [Marquardt] is a cheater, but [against] me, he can take all the drugs he wants. I’m going to whoop his ass anyway… There’s no excuses anymore. Don’t say you’ve got a contract with the UFC because he doesn’t have it. He can take the fight and prove everybody wrong.”

However, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney recently spoke to MMA Junkie and gave an important update on the situation, saying the following: “Nate’s situation was pretty unique. It’s an anomaly for a guy like that to become available, so we had discussions. But it just became pretty clear it wasn’t the right fit… We have so much going on right now… If Nate had been available a few months back, maybe things would be different.”

I think it’s really interesting that Bellator has decided, at least for now, to not sign Nate Marquardt. For both the promotion and the person, this bit of news leaves me with a slew of questions.

For Bellator: was it really smart to pass up on this sort of opportunity? Why couldn’t you find a way to fit in a guy that’s still widely ranked as at or near the top of the division? Did the fact that some cynics call Bellator a promotion filled with “UFC rejects” have anything to do with this decision, or is that just a coincidence? Did Marquardt make too many demands? And couldn’t you at least have given him Hector Lombard in a non-title super-fight?

For Nate Marquardt: what happens now? Bellator was definitely the only viable, major US promotion left to you now that Strikeforce is owned by Zuffa, so I would have thought that you would have done whatever it took to secure a spot. Was it just that Bellator isn’t a big enough promotion? And where do you go from here? Japan’s MMA scene is a fraction of what it once was, while the UK can only boast BAMMA as a promotion that could likely afford to pay you.

Now that I think about it, and now that I know it won’t be happening, I think I actually would have liked to see Nate Marquardt in Bellator. In particular, I’d have really liked to see him fight both Ben Askren and Hector Lombard. I don’t think he would’ve beaten them, but seeing him try would have made for some entertaining minutes.

To be brutally honest, now that Bellator is not an option I think Marquardt has just joined the likes of Houston Alexander, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, and a host of other UFC wash-outs that make a living on smaller barely-promoted shows while virtually vanishing from the mainstream MMA landscape. That may not be the scenario that ends up playing out, but it’s certainly the one that seems most likely right now.

MMA Mania brings word that in a recent episode of MMA Live, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney said the following about Marquardt: “We all recognize he’s a very talented fighter. And I’m as interested like you are to see how the situation plays out with the commission… Anybody who would tell you that they’re not interested in Nate… would be lying to you. So, sure, we’re interested but let’s see how things play out over the next couple weeks with the commission and then we can go from there.”

When asked whether or not he would have Marquardt fight as a Middleweight or Welterweight, Rebney basically said that the call would be Marquardt’s to make.

Marquardt’s shocking release from the UFC took the internet by storm back around the time of “UFC on Versus 4”. Marquardt was medically forbidden to compete at the event on the day of the weigh-ins, leaving the UFC high, dry, and vindictive enough to fire him. Marquardt would later reveal that he was taking testosterone replacement therapy. Debate would then rage and continues to rage on whether or not TRT is performance enhancing, with fighters as varied as BJ Penn and Dan Hardy strongly condemning Marquardt’s actions.

It should also be noted that Ben Askren, the current Welterweight Champion of Bellator, has publicly called out Marquardt for his actions.

Would Marquardt make an interesting addition to Bellator’s roster? Of course he would, there’s absolutely no denying that. But would he be worth the hassle, considering that he’s coming off of a major controversy? Now there’s the million-dollar question, fans and friends.

I suppose it all comes down to how successful Marquardt is in Bellator. Bellator FC is all-too-often overlooked, and all-too-often it’s thought that any former UFC fighter could walk into Bellator and win a championship. So far, that hasn’t happened. In fact, some of Bellator’s champions have outright schooled former UFC fighters.

For the sake of the argument, let’s assume that Marquardt is able to win a Bellator tournament, either at Middleweight or Welterweight. If that was the case, he’d face either Hector Lombard or Ben Askren. Lombard is 29-2, hasn’t lost since 2006, and has fought to a decision twice in his last fifteen fights. Ben Askren is 8-0 and one of the best pure wrestlers in Bellator and probably the entire world, the exact kind of fighter that Marquardt has had many problems with in the past.

I think there are several interesting fights for Marquardt in Bellator, assuming that he stays clean and his troubles with the athletic commission don’t result in a prolonged suspension. As with anything in today’s MMA world, signing Marquardt would be a calculated risk. But I do think Bellator would benefit from Marquardt on their roster, if only to add prestige to their championships when their champions more than likely beat him.

His lone losses in his career stand at two early career defeats to Japanese legend Akihiro Gono and former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi–both bouts which took place under the PRIDE banner.

However, the the Olympic Judoka has transitioned his skills on the mat to now a full fledged MMA fighter. But, he may be more known to the fans as the little guy with knockout power in both hands, and he helped assert those claims last night when he polished off UFC and Strikeforce veteran Falaniko Vitale just seconds into the third-round.

The first two-frames of the “super fight” middleweight match-up were…well, to put it bluntly, unwatchable. For the full ten-minutes, both Niko and Hector circled each other in the center of the cage hoping to counter the other’s counter shot. With neither man effectively landing anything significant, the action was turned up in the final round after the entire two-rounds was highlighted by a double leg takedown from Lombard.

Immediately, both men stood in the pocket, however Niko over extended himself when he ducked down low for a takedown. Lombard stepped to the side and caught the Hawaiian flush with a right hand to the jaw. Niko, tougher than his own good, was left standing momentarily before he collapsed to a knee. Lombard knew the action was over and threw his hands up as if to say “are you done yet?”. Just as Hector moved in for the kill, Vitale dropped again to his back and referee Dan Margliotta halted the contest.

Just 54-seconds into the final round, and Lombard quickly regained the crowd on his side after what was a hellish first ten-minutes, and all it took was one punch.

It’s hard to say what’s left for Lombard inside of Bellator. Not only has the Aussie gone through the gauntlet of the initial tournament to become champion, but then he defended his title against season two middleweight winner Alexander Shlemenko. The win over Vitale marks Hector’s third non-title “super fight”, all of which he has won. In fact, Lombard has not lost in his last 23-bouts, and with another signature performance, Lombard is awarded the “Knockout of the Night”.

There’s a lot of pressure for the Bellator titleholders, as none of them have faltered in non-title bouts, going a perfect 9-0 before tonight’s event.

And though the bout began in less than exciting fashion, it ended the same way Lombard ends most of his fights–with an abrupt and very fast knockout.

Hector, a product of American Top Team, has been asking to face only the best of the best out there. Though he’s already stayed out his welcome in Bellator, Lombard will continue to prove to the masses that he’s every bit the world beater that he’s developed into.

Evidence enough would be his now impressive knockout win, though the beginning of the bout indicated otherwise.

In the first two-rounds, both Niko and Hector circled one another for the full ten-minutes, sizing each other up and looking to counter each other’s counter shots. Both men were waiting for the other to over commit, however the most action that came in the first few frames was a late takedown in part of Lombard, though it was anything but effective.

In the final round, the two men sensed the urgency of putting an exclamation point in the third after two closely contested snoozers. As soon as the Hawaiian over extended himself on a takedown attempt, Lombard stepped back and scored a devastating right-hand on the chin. Niko hit the deck, quickly stood back up but his legs wouldn’t keep him there. Niko made one more trip back to the mat before the referee finally stepped in to call a halt to the bout.

One punch was the difference and just like that, Hector scored yet another knockout win and extends his streak to 18 in-a-row and is undefeated in his last 23-bouts (his lone blemish has been a draw opposite of Kyle Noke in July of 2007).

What else is there for Hector in the middleweight class in Bellator? If he wants a challenge, maybe he should drop back down to his more natural weight of 170-pounds, but if he choses to remain as a 185-pounder, he should be seeking a new stomping grounds as Bellator will not be able to provide him with the type of challenges that he needs.

The card will be headlined by an intriguing middleweight bout pitting Bellator champion Hector Lombard against UFC and Strikeforce veteran Falaniko Vitale in a “super fight” non-title bout.

While the headlining duo made weight with no problem, the attention later shifted to a proposed bantamweight bout between WEC veteran Anthony Morrison and Brian Goldsby, though there’s been a hitch in plans when Morrison came in 10-pounds over the limit.

Besides Morrison’s hiccup, Anthony Leone who would be meeting with “The Ultimate Fighter” veteran Jeff Lentz in a featherweight match-up initially came in a half-pound over the 146-pound limit, though on his second attempt succesfully made the weight.

The full weigh-in results are courtesy of MMAJunkie.com:

MAIN CARD

Champ Hector Lombard (185) vs. Falaniko Vitale (185.5) – non-title fight
Michael Chandler (156) vs. Patricky “Pitbull” Freire (155) – lightweight-tourney final
Bryan Goldsby (135) vs. Anthony Morrison (146) – bantamweight-tourney qualifier+
Brett Cooper (185.5) vs. Alexander Shlemenko (186) – middleweight-tourney qualifier

PRELIMINARY CARD

Giedrius Karavackas (169.5) vs. Sam Oropeza (170.5)
Jeff Lentz (146) vs. Anthony Leone (146.5)*
Gemiyale Adkins (186) vs. Jay Silva (185.5)
Jamall Johnson (213.5) vs. Randy Smith (255)

We all know how fun it can be to watch Anderson Silva dump an upkick to the grill of Vitor Belfort or Jon Jones drop sledgehammer elbows to Brandon Vera‘s skull.  But hey, we kind of expect this, these are some of the best pound for pound fighters walking the planet.  So what about the fighters not always front and center of every MMA chit chat.  Well here are some guys, that rarely, if ever, fail to excite and entertain in the cage.

Hector Lombard (Bellator Middleweight Champion)

Known as the Mike Tyson of MMA, Hector Lombard is a chiseled bull swinging hammer fists in the first three minutes of the first round.  Only one of his last five fights (all wins) have made it past the first round.  Four of the five wins were stopped due to TKO or KO.  For me, Hector Lombard is appointment viewing.  Most often, you are guaranteed fireworks in the first round.

Anthony Pettis (UFC Lightweight)

We all know the – flying off the fence kick – to stop Benson Henderson and win the WEC Lightweight Title that still makes Top Ten lists on ESPN, yet this kid finds a way to be exciting wherever the fight goes.  He is one of the most active fighters off his back, never settling to just neutralize a hand or arm to prevent his opponent from doing damage.  He is always searching and probing for an offensive Jiu Jitsu move to score or finish.  His head kick to stop Danny Castillo was just a fun to watch as his triangle choke of Shane Roller.  Can’t wait to see how he deals with the frenetic style of Clay Guida ahead.

Melvin Guillard (UFC Lightweight)

The thing with Melvin Guillard is you don’t always see the excitement coming.   He can have periods of slower activity in a fight and then boom, drops the led  - fight over – as he did with Denis Siver and Evan Dunham.  If he has one more performance, like the Dunham fight, he will be in the top ten pound for pound chat and not on this list. He is a great striker, yet has the wrestling skills to defend an opponents wrestling which allows the fight to stay up.  This is the downfall of other great strikers, without high-level wrestling.

Joe Warren  (Bellator Featherweight)

Warren made this list off of one fight … his last win over Joe Soto.   I don’t know if he will ever be this exciting again.  Regardless, I will be watching his Bellator 41 fight tonight.  Against Soto, he was being dominated and almost finished in the first round.  Things did not look good heading to round two.  But, like the Strikefoce’s Scott Smith, when things look darkest, sunlight is usually a moment away.  Warren stunned Soto with a right and quickly finished the fight in the first minute of the second round.  It is this reversal of fate, amazing will to overcome that left the San Antonio crowd wowed and added one more follower to Joe Warren’s twitter feed.

Stephan Bonnar (UFC Light Heavyweight)

Ok, any long time MMA fan knows all about Stephan Bonnar and his legendary first fight with Forrest Griffin that put the UFC on the map …  as the ratings on Spike TV soared with every blow.  What excites me about Bonnar, is I know, in most of this bouts, the fight will become a brawl.  Not every fight he is in will be a total barnburner, water cooler material, but I know Bonnar is trying to take the fight to a space where it could become such a fight.  He is always pushing the fight into a brawling bloody clash of wills area, as he did in the Krzystof Soszynski 2 fight.  This makes me want to watch him fight more than a fighter looking to use his wrestling first or a counter puncher needing the opponent to engage first.  Bonnar is always angling for a war, which makes him good MMA entertainment.

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Who would you add to this list and why … there are more!

There, he has been able to reach a wider audience that may or may not have already known of the obvious talent that the Judoka possesses. And while his true martial art will always be his grappling pedigree, he has slowly but surely become a “knockout artist” in his own right–having finished the likes of UFC veteran Jay Silva with a six-second flurry that put him into unconsciousness.

And while some of the casual mixed martial arts fans may not follow all of Lombard’s endeavors outside of the Bellator arena, you may want to take notice of the whooping that he placed on another UFC veteran in Joe Doerksen–a fight that turned so ugly, so fast, that the ringside doctor halted the bout inside of the first-round.

While Hector, a product of the famed (yet troubled) American Top Team, serves as the Bellator middleweight champion, he also doubles as the Cage Fighting Championships 185-pound title holder as well. The promotion is based out of Australia, where Lombard emigrated to after he had left Cuba as a child.

In the CFC promotion he remains undefeated–in fact, the last time Lombard tasted defeat was in 2006 when he met with Gegard Mousasi under the PRIDE banner–Mousasi would later go on to become the DREAM middleweight and light heavyweight champion, as well as the Strikeforce 205-pound title holder.

While he has faced considerably tough opponents in the past, Joe Doerksen would present one of Lombard’s stiffest challenges to date–at least, he was supposed to.

A UFC and Sengoku veteran, Joe has fought and beat some of the best fighters in the world. The Canadian holds victories over notables Lee Murray, Ed Herman, and Chris Leben, just to name a few. And while Doerksen is always game, it was not to be his night. Last night, Lombard managed to tear through Joe quick, unleashing several barrages of punches that planted the 33-year-old on his back early. Mixed in with some ground-and-pound and another knockdown, the ringside doctor stepped in to see what looked to be another routine cut above his hairline–however, this was no ordinary cut.

The doctor almost immediately halted the bout after shortly examining the cut, which was nearly three inches in length, and determine that the fight should be stopped. Why? Oh, because he could see Doerksen skull.

And while the fans in attendance at the Big Top Stadium in Luna Park (Syndey, Austrlia) did not appreciate the stoppage, it was just.

So, MMA peeps, where does Lombard go from here? How long will he stick with Bellator before he realizes that this organization can’t give him everything that he needs. Never will Lombard receive the big paydays that he is so eagerly looking forward to. Maybe he should give UFC matchmaker a call and see whats up. Sound off in the comment section below.

Here are the highlights courtesy of two pieces posted on Sherdog.com: “I can tell you thankfully there will be a season four, five, six and beyond… A lot of people always ask the question about Fox Sports Network and about the delays of broadcasts and the preemptions and the nature of that network, and we have overcome that issue, which is great for us… I’ve said many times the opportunity for [Bellator Middleweight Champion] Hector [Lombard] to fight Jacare [Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Ronaldo Souza] would be spectacular… I’m trying desperately to not say anything that would be perceived as a barrier to making those kind of fights happen.”

I’ll be honest, fans and friends, I don’t know that much about Bellator. I don’t follow it with any real interest, in fact, I more or less give it a passing glance every now and then and that’s about as far as I go. But the more and more I hear about this promotion, the more and more I think that should change. Bellator seems to be getting better on an event-by-event basis, and now that the news has come down from on high that the WEC will be folded into the UFC, I’m going to need a new underdog to root for. I can’t say I’ll throw myself into watching Bellator with reckless abandon, but I think the promotion has done more than enough to warrant more than a passing glance.

In regards to “Champion vs. Champion” fights, I’m always a huge fan of them and I’ll always be in favor of making them happen. But I also know that, realistically, they’re incredibly hard to pull off. I think Rebney is getting way ahead of himself if he’s already looking at matches like Hector Lombard vs. Ronaldo Souza and Nick Diaz vs. Ben Askren while he can’t even get Eddie Alvarez vs. Gilbert Melendez worked out. In fact, hopes of any Strikeforce vs. Bellator fight remain bleak. Although I’ve come out in favor of a Bellator/Strikeforce co-promotion in the past, it’s looking increasingly less likely. The first-friendly rivalry between the two promotions has now taken a downturn, with the dreaded “ducking” term rearing its ugly head.

Ultimately, Bellator should focus on growing its brand and not rely on any sort of co-promotion with Strikeforce in order to explode into the mainstream. It may not be the quickest or the easiest path to success, but I believe Bellator should more or less stay the course and continue chipping away at the mainstream by putting on more great shows featuring more interesting and upcoming talent. As the promotion continues to gain respect around the underground, sooner or later the masses will begin to take notice. It may not make Bjorn Rebney a ton of money overnight, but at least Bellator seems to be far removed from the likes of EliteXC and Affliction, who fired off like rockets into the mainstream with big-name talent and huge production values, only to ultimately hemorrhage money and fall just as quickly as they had ascended.

And what about you, fans and friends? Have you given Bellator FC a look yet? And if you have, what do you think of its future?

While a steady stream of new upstart prospects have claimed the titles from the season’s past champions, specifically former featherweight champion Joe Soto relinquishing his title to current title holder Joe Warren in a come-back finish in their September tussle, and former welterweight champion Lyman Good losing to talented Olympic wrestler Ben Askren.

The pressure was all on Hector Lombard, who remained one of the last original champions from Bellator’s first season (Eddie Alvarez has yet to defend his title against season 2 tournament winner Pat Curran sometime in the near future).

A game Alexander Shlemenko entered the cage last night at “Bellator 34″ against the Judo Olympian, and while in the early going it looked like Hector’s approach looked much like his last two outings, get in and get out with quick knockout victories, the Russian middleweight hung tough and weathered the early storm.

Lomard, a native Australian who trains out of American Top Team, fought before an adoring hometown crowd in Florida, and while the fans tried to remain as patient as they could with the Cuban fighter, the next four-rounds were hard to watch.

After a dominant first-round turned in by Lombard, which saw some heavy shots land followed by well executed throws and some well-placed elbows, it looked like he winded himself just from the first stanza, having to carry himself until the final bell.

Lombard still was able to control the action with his effective take downs, however had little behind his ground and pound once the action hit the floor.

In the final round, a live Shlemenko came storming back, landing knees in the clinch, a spinning back fists and a few exchanges on the feet. Alexander won the round on all score cards, but it was not enough, and Lombard was eventually declared the winner, 49-46 all across the board and retained his 185-pound title.

The co-main event of the evening, a flyweight title fight pitting the undefeated and highly decorated Megumi Fujii (thought by many to be the greatest female fighter of all time) against knockout artist Zoila Frausto.

Frausto, who made her debut with Bellator kneeing Rosi Sexton into unconsciousness. Prior to the bout, Sexton was heralded as the best fighter in the flyweight division, though the bout was contested at 125-pounds.

Both Fujii and Frausto battled their way to the finals which culminated last night at Bellator 34. And after a close 5 rounds turned in, where both combatants had their moments in a 25-minute stand up affair, Frausto was ultimately crowned the new Bellator 115-pound champion, and also laid claim to the only woman to defeat Megumi in her entire career, which spanned 22 fights.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the results? Did you catch all the action?
Sound off in the comment section below.

When are we going to see any of his infamous Judo skills put to the test?

Since his inception to the aforementioned organization, Lombard has done everything to solidify himself as contender in the discussions of being a top-10 caliber fighter, one that would make Mike Tyson proud, finishing 4 of his 5 Bellator appearances by way of knockout.

While keeping himself busy outside of Bellator, awaiting his next title defense against season 2 tournament winner, Alexander Shlemenko, “Shango” has racked up three wins outside of the promotion, against UFC veteran Kalib Starnes, Art Santore, and Joey Gorczynski.

His time inside Bellator, however, has been nothing but squeemish, coming back strong in 2010, with a 6 second victory over another UFC veteran in Jay Silva (his only loss by knockout in his career).

Tonight, however, might be his most devastating knockout to date. When former NFL player Herbert “Whisper” Goodman signed his contract to face Lombard, he might as well have signed over the right to render himself unconsciousness.

Lombard wasted no time against Goodman, a noted striker in his own right, wading in with powerful hooks, before finally staggering Herbert with a strong right hook against the cage, and one more on the chin sealed the deal. While Lombard would follow to the ground with additional strikes, the damage had already been done, and the American Top Team product notched up his 14th straight win, and 15th knockout victory.

After a failed contract with the now defunct EliteXC promotion, and visa issues with the UFC hindered his debut, Hector Lombard has finally arrived here in the states while in Bellator.

Should Lombard be considered a top-10 fighter in the middleweight division? Assuming he gets passed Shlemenko, who should he fight next?

Tatame quotes Conan Silveira, Lombard’s jiu-jitsu instructor at American Top Team, saying, “We’re ready for anything. I just came from Australia, I didn’t know if Paulao had signed it yet.  That’s a sad situation because Paulao comes from the same school that I came, from Carlson’s, he’s my friend, but this is professional.”

Filho submitted Tatsuhiko Nishizaka (3-5-1) at Bitetti Combat 5 in São Paulo December 12.

Lombard defended his Australian Cafe Fighting Championships belt in Sydney March 12 with a TKO of “Pachuco” Art Santore (18-8).

The addition of Baker is a good one for the tournament. He is a former high school wrestler who is now a black belt in judo and trains at Team Wildman in Denver, Colorado. He has wins against UFC veteran “Outburst” Rory Singer (12-9) and former IFL Grand Prix winner “Suave” Matt Horwich (24-13-1).

Baker says his singular goal is to advance through Bellator’s Season 2 tournament to earn the chance to take on reigning World Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard.“I put so much effort into my training that it gives me 100 percent confidence that I’m going to win every time,” Baker said. “Lombard has the belt and I’m coming for his belt. I’d say that he better stay on top of his training or else he’s in for a big surprise.”

This is just one of many additions Bellator has made in their off season. Former Olympian and highly touted prospect Ben Askren (3-0) signed an exclusive long term agreement and will participate in the welterweight tournament. Hardcore MMA fan favorite Dan Hornbuckle (14-2) also looking to make a splash in the welterweight tournament. Other fighters include “The Taz” Bao Quach (16-9-1), William Romero (4-0), Jim Wallhead (17-5) and Mike Ricci (1-0) to name a few.

Bellator is doing what many fans have been wanting to see for a long time. They are taking all the highly touted prospects along with a few well established fighters and giving them a  way to fight one another. I see Bellator as an organization that is becoming the proving grounds for these prospects. They will have to step in the cage, face each other and then look to fight men like Bellator FC middleweight champion Hector Lombard (22-2-1) and lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez (17-2).

I have no idea what Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney has planned for the future or where he sees his organization in comparison to the UFC but I feel they could become the perfect feeder organization for Dana White, Joe Silva and the UFC. The only question remaining is if the fans will actually support them and get out to am event.

Last season the events seemed to be lacking fans from what I could tell. I wonder if the periodic signings slowly trickling out is a planned event in order to keep them in the news and to bring in more fans? If so it is a brilliant move. I have seen more people talk about this company in the last 6 months then I did during their first season. If this is any indication the fans will come out to support all the hard work they have put in to the new season and tournaments.

I have my doubts but with four events in Kansas City I hope for the best. The Midwest is a hot bed for MMA with hardcore fans that follow even the most obscure fight organization. My question to you is, will you be attending a Bellator event?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.