UFC 149 Results: What Happened to the Old Hector Lombard?

What happened to the old Hector Lombard?

Nothing.

The Hector Lombard that entered the Octagon at UFC 149 was the same that had entered the cage in Bellator and various other promotions—except this time he wasn't fighting a can.

You see, the "old" Hector Lombard disposed of opponents in devastatingly brutal fashion. His forte was smashing guys like Herbert "Whisper" Goodman, Kalib Starnes and Joe Doerksen, and then calling out UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

Of course, the anti-UFC/anti-Zuffa crowd bought into this whole shtick, as they do every time a fighter has some success in an organization outside of the UFC or outside of the Zuffa umbrella. 

In that respect, Lombard is just another disappointment in a long line of would-be supermen such as Denis Kang, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto, Takanori Gomi and more.

Lombard and these men, touted as world-beaters for their wins in lesser organizations, were brought to the UFC and subsequently proven to be the product of Internet hype—and that's all Lombard was, hype. 

Look at the numbers. Lombard is now 31-3-1 (1 NC). His biggest wins were over impressive Bellator middleweight Alexander Shlemenko and grizzled journeyman Trevor Prangley, and his losses are to the only three above-average fighters he's faced in his career, Akihiro Gono, Gegard Mousasi, and Tim Boetsch.

Where was the old Hector Lombard? He was there, he just wasn't matched up against a can so he didn't look anywhere near as talented as usual.

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