Lombard debuts against Stann

Date: 2012-04-29 00:00:00
Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/hector-lombard-set-fa...
Submitted By: Come Get You Some

Former Bellator middleweight champion, Hector Lombard, will get his first taste of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, when he faces Brain Stann at "UFC on Fox 4." The event is scheduled for Aug. 4, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA.
Even though Lombard currently has a professional MMA record of 31-2-1, he hasn't exactly faced the best fighters around. MMA fans will finally get to find out how legit his skills are, when he squares up against Stann.
Lombard has already indicated that he doesn't want any easy fights in the UFC, and he hopes to eventually get a shot at current middleweight champion, Anderson Silva.
"I want to be UFC middleweight champion, and I want to fight Anderson Silva to do it," Lombard said. "I have such respect for him as a fighter. It would be an honor and a dream come true to test my skills against his. I've wanted to fight in the UFC all my career. I wouldn't be in the UFC if I didn't think I could win the UFC world title."
Obviously, Lombard will have to earn his shot at the sports' pound-for-pound best, but he definitely doesn't want to overlook Brian. Stann is a heavy-handed puncher, and he has the skills needed to ruin Lombard's UFC debut. He's currently 4-1 as a UFC middleweight, and he's always game to fight.
However, Chael Sonnen exposed some serious flaws in Stann's ground game during their UFC 136 encounter, and I'm not sure he's had enough time to make the necessary adjustments. Lombard is a world-class judoka, and Stann might find himself in a bit of trouble if he isn't able to avoid the clinch.
If Lombard respects Stann's power and utilizes a smart game plan, he should be victorious in his UFC debut. However, if he decides to showcase his punching power against Stann, he just might end up biting on more than he can chew.
Regardless of how the fight goes, I'm pretty sure it will be entertaining.