UFC: Can Hector Lombard Succeed on MMA's Biggest Stage?

In 2007 a decidedly younger and slightly less-hyped version of Hector Lombard very nearly signed with the UFC.

A Cuban-born judoka with Olympic-level qualifications and a lengthy unbeaten streak to his name, he was a guy on a list of nice-to-haves in a middleweight division that was only just beginning to realize what it had in kingpin Anderson Silva.

Fast forward five years, after visa issues halted Lombard’s initial chance to shine on the world’s biggest stage, he’s finally landed where many felt he belonged all along. He comes to the UFC with a Bellator title that he never lost, an even lengthier unbeaten streak to his credit, and the mantle of best middleweight never to set foot in the octagon firmly intact.

He’s also entering at a time when there’s really only one man—present top contender Chael Sonnen—to ever test Silva, who went from gifted titleholder in 2007 to living legend and all-time king of MMA in 2012. Many think Lombard could be the second guy to add his name to that list.

However, looking at history, it’s hard to see that Lombard will have an easy road to success in the UFC. Getting a win or even a win streak, much less jumping right in there with the best 185er who ever lived, may not be a foregone conclusion. Certainly not when one looks at big-name imports from other promotions in recent years.

Sure, many of the Strikeforce veterans who joined the UFC upon the Zuffa purchase have held their own. The likes of Fabricio Werdum and Alistair Overeem have collected wins, Nick Diaz is 1-1 with a highly-questioned loss, and a collection of heavyweights have shown they can hang with the UFC’s big boys.

On the other hand, there are plenty of big names and sexy records that have come to the UFC and fizzled out pretty quickly.

Jason “Mayhem” Miller went 0-2 (0-3 in his UFC career overall) despite his much-hyped signing, and was recently cut.

Yoshihiro Akiyama only has a job because he so wilfully puts himself in harm’s way, and was even willing to cut to 170lbs. just to keep the exciting fights coming. He’s 1-4 in the promotion.

Other highly-touted Japanese sensations like Hatsu Hioki and Kid Yamamoto have looked dreadful for the most part, even if their records don’t reflect drab outings in the cage.

To put it mildly, you simply don’t know how a man will react when you put him under the bright lights of the UFC. Octagon jitters are a real thing, and they effect even the coolest veterans with dozens of fights under their belt.

So is Hector Lombard different? The UFC seems to think so. A win over Tim Boestch at UFC 149 will likely earn him a shot at Silva, and that announcement came after he was pulled from making his debut as a network television headliner against a full-blown American hero in Brian Stann.

In a division not exactly rich with contenders, the UFC is betting huge on an aging guy whose biggest win is over Alexander Shlemenko. Tough to believe that hype.

It’s not that Lombard isn’t talented. Actually, looking at it on the surface, he’s probably more talented than any of the other imports who have skittered or outright failed. He’s remarkably powerful, throws strikes with utterly lethal intentions, and has a grappling background that will serve him well against the upper echelon of the UFC’s middleweight class.

Still, given the history of hyped failures in the UFC, it’s hard to believe he’s a viable challenger to the throne Silva has been perched upon since before Lombard almost signed the first time.