UFC 171's Hector Lombard focused more on Michael Bisping, less on title

(This story first appeared in Friday’s USA TODAY.)

Hector Lombard is pushing toward a title shot after settling into the UFC’s welterweight division this past September with a devastating knockout victory. But the veteran might be bulking back up to the 185-pound middleweight division depending on how things shake out on Saturday at UFC 171.

“I hope I can go to 185 and maybe get a couple fights there,” Lombard tells USA Today Sports. “I would love to (move between welterweight and middleweight), but it’s up to the UFC.”

After Lombard (33-4-1 mixed martials, 2-2 UFC), 36, makes his walk to the cage at Dallas’ American Airlines Center and meets former Strikeforce champ Jake Shields (29-6-1, 4-2), a quartet of 170-pound standouts will fight in other pay-per-view bouts (10 p.m. ET). One, Robbie Lawler vs. Johny Hendricks, will produce the next UFC welterweight champ. The other, Carlos Condit vs. Tyron Woodley, could cement the No. 1 contender.

Ordinarily, a clear path might be welcome news to Lombard, a former Bellator champion whose long-awaited UFC debut at 185 pounds produced a disappointing 1-2 record and expedited his drop to a lighter division. But the Cuban-born fighter is teammates with Lawler at Florida’s American Top Team, and he’d rather respect that bond than advance his career.

“From the bottom of my heart, I hope Robbie wins the belt and keeps it for a long time,” Lombard says. “If he wins the belt, I don’t want to fight him. It’s good for him. I just want to go on in my fight career and win this fight.

“He can have the belt, man. I don’t really care.”

It’s unclear if Lombard will extend the same courtesy to Woodley, who also trains at ATT. Lombard beating Shields, however, is no small task, as the jiu-jitsu specialist has a reputation for being deceptively difficult to hit.

Lombard might be a judoka by training, but he is known as a one-punch KO artist. Prior to signing a lucrative UFC deal as a free agent, he terrorized the middleweight division in other fight organizations, going undefeated over four years and winning 20 straight bouts. Between 2007-2011, he finished all but six of his bouts.

In his return to 170 pounds, Lombard knocked out Nate Marquardt in less than two minutes at UFC 166.

Shields has called for a title shot if he can become the first fighter to stop Lombard. In turn, Lombard has dismissed his opponent as “boring” and predicted another KO victory. A far more enticing matchup, he said, is Michael Bisping, whom Lombard has repeatedly called out to no avail.

If the Shields fight goes as predicted, and his teammate is successful, Lombard may renew his request. Then, he just has to convince the UFC that he should be Bisping’s next opponent after the Brit faces Tim Kennedy in the headliner of next month’s TUF Nations Finale event in Canada.

Staying in one place isn’t something Lombard does well.

“I really want to fight Bisping,” Lombard says. “He’s a loudmouth, but there’s nothing personal.”

For the latest on UFC 171, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

Below, hear Lombard talk about Jake Shields’ fighting style ahead of their main-card fight.

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