Tag: Hector Lombard

UFC veteran Jimmie Rivera officially signs with BKFC, expected to debut on May 6

Former UFC bantamweight contender Jimmie Rivera will test his skills in bareknuckle competition.

Bare Knuckle FC has officially announced the signing of another former UFC fighter.

As previously reported, bantamweight competitor [autotag]Jimmie Rivera[/autotag] was expected to join the promotion following his exit from the UFC. On Monday, BKFC announced via press release that pen has been put to paper, and Rivera is now set to make his debut with the promotion at BKFC 25 on Friday, May 6. The event will take place in Orlando, Fla., and Rivera’s opponent will be announced in the coming days.

Rivera has been fighting in the UFC since 2015, where he fought 11 times against the best in the bantamweight division, in addition to one fight at featherweight. He now joins a number of former UFC fighters to make the switch to bareknuckle competition, including [autotag]Chad Mendes[/autotag], [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag], [autotag]Paige VanZant[/autotag], [autotag]Rachel Ostovich[/autotag], [autotag]Chris Leben[/autotag], [autotag]Hector Lombard[/autotag], and more.

During his best stretch under the UFC banner, Rivera won five straight, picking up consecutive wins over Marcus Brimage, Pedro Munhoz, Iuri Alcantara, Urijah Faber, and Thomas Almeida. At UFC Fight Night 131, he competed in the lone main event of his run with the promotion against Marlon Moraes, which unfortunately did not go in his favor.

Rivera’s last victory with the promotion came on short notice in the featherweight division, where he outpointed Cody Stamann in a hard-fought 15-minute battle.

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Eagle FC signs former Bellator and BKFC champion Hector Lombard, UFC veteran Thiago Silva

Eagle FC adds a pair of UFC veterans to its growing roster.

[autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag]’s Eagle FC continues to add familiar names to its roster.

A pair of UFC veterans have signed with the promotion as [autotag]Hector Lombard[/autotag] and [autotag]Thiago Silva[/autotag] now have a new home to showcase their skills. The promotion announced the signings Wednesday at a news conference ahead of Eagle FC 46. Both fighters will compete in the light heavyweight division.

Lombard (34-10-1), 44, has been active under the BKFC banner since his exit from the UFC in 2018. In just his third fight with the promotion, he claimed the inaugural cruiserweight title by defeating Joe Riggs at BKFC 18. The former Bellator middleweight champion has not competed in MMA since Sept. 2018, but has kept his striking sharp in the bareknuckle competition.

Silva (21-9), 39, made 12 walks to the UFC’s octagon during his tenure with the promotion before his exit in 2013. Since then, he has fought in multiple promotions including WSOF and ACB, including a stop in the kickboxing ring under the Glory banner in 2017. Silva was last in action at KSW 49 in May 2019.

Eagle FC has not yet announced opponents or debut dates for either new signee.

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BKFC 22 live and official results

Keep up with the live and official results of BKFC 22, which takes place at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Fla.

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship returns on Friday evening for BKFC 22 and MMA Junkie will keep you updated with live and official results throughout the event.

The bareknuckle event filled with MMA veterans takes place at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Fla., and airs on BKFC TV and FITE TV. Two title belts are on the line as [autotag]Hector Lombard[/autotag] looks to defend his cruiserweight title for the first time against [autotag]Lorenzo Hunt[/autotag] and [autotag]Luis Palomino[/autotag] defends his lightweight title against [autotag]Dat Nguyen[/autotag].

Lombard (3-0 BKFC) and Hunt (5-1 BKFC) will finally settle the score after their heated rivalry began with a brawl after BKFC 18. Undefeated under the BKFC banner, Lombard defeated Joe Riggs to become BKFC cruiserweight champion.

His opponent, Hunt, enters Friday’s championship bout on an all-stoppage, four-fight winning streak. Victories over Erick Lozano, Davian Green, Rob Morrow, and Josh Dyer propelled him into this main event title fight.

The co-main event will see lightweight champ Palomino (4-0 BKFC) attempt to make it five wins in a row, as he returns to action following hospitalization due to a serious bout with COVID-19.

Nguyen (3-0 BKFC), like Palomino, is undefeated in bareknuckle competition. With three wins under the BKFC banner, Nguyen will attempt to build off his unanimous decision win over Johnny Bedford in February to become champion.

The official results of BKFC 22 include:

MAIN CARD (BKFC TV/FITE 9 p.m. ET)

  • Hector Lombard vs. Lorenzo Hunt – for cruiserweight title
  • Luis Palomino vs. Dat Nguyen – for lightweight title
  • Britain Hart vs. Pearl Gonzalez
  • Mike Kyle vs. Gustavo Trujillo
  • Marcus Brimage vs. Will Shutt
  • Rusty Crowder vs. Howard Davis
  • Enoch Adonai vs. Francesco Ricci
  • Joshuah Alvarez vs. Arthur Walcott-Ceesay
  • Montaser Aboughaly vs. Cage Noah

PRELIMINARY CARD (BKFC TV/FITE 8 p.m. ET)

  • Brian Maxwell vs. James Rodriguez
  • Chris Cornerlius vs. Peter Peraza
  • Darwin Bonilla vs. Tyler Randall

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Belts snatched and tables flipped: BKFC 22 press conference gets wild between Hector Lombard and Lorenzo Hunt

Tensions boiled over at the BKFC 22 press conference as Lorenzo Hunt and Hector Lombard are separated.

Tensions are still high between bareknuckle fighters [autotag]Hector Lombard[/autotag] and [autotag]Lorenzo Hunt[/autotag].

On Wednesday at the BKFC 22 pre-fight press conference, things quickly got out of hand when Lombard (3-0 BKFC) was asked to reflect upon the moment when Hunt (5-1 BKFC) entered the ring after his championship victory over Joe Riggs at BKFC 18, which sparked an all-out post-fight brawl.

“I don’t think there’s anyone in this arena right now that would allow that to happen,” Lombard stated at the press conference. “If you, in the biggest moment of your life, you win the world title, and you see a clown jumps over the fence and attacks you, what are you gonna do? Pretty sure you’re gonna do the same thing.”

Just as Lombard completed his sentence, things went wild as Hunt began yelling at Lombard from across the room.

“You shut your f*cking mouth!” Lombard said as Hunt began approaching the stage.

“Don’t nobody want to hear you talk,” Hunt said repeatedly before getting on stage and grabbing the BKFC title belt from in front of Lombard. At that moment, Lombard flipped the table over as BKFC president David Feldman attempted to hold Lombard back.

Hunt slammed the belt onto the ground, continuing to yell expletives as he walked off with the title into the hallway. Moments later, the stage was reset and the press conference resumed.

Lombard was then asked if he had anything to say after the interaction, and the champ began questioning if Hunt was going to be able to make weight for their fight.

“All I see if this guy big as f*ck,” Lombard said. “I’ve been cutting so much weight for this fight to make it happen for the fans, and all I see is this motherf*cker is bigger than ever. … Is this a joke or what?”

Former MMA competitors Lombard and Hunt are set to meet in the main event of BKFC 22, which takes place on Friday, Nov. 12 at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Fla.

Watch the full press conference in the video above.

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Hector Lombard set to defend title vs. heated rival Lorenzo Hunt at BKFC 22

Hector Lombard gets his first BKFC title defense booked against heated rival Lorenzo Hunt on Nov. 12

[autotag]Hector Lombard[/autotag] has his first BKFC title defense booked on home soil.

The BKFC cruiserweight champion is set to take on [autotag]Lorenzo Hunt[/autotag] in the main event of BKFC 22 on Nov. 12 in Miami, Fla. MMA Junkie confirmed the matchup with sources close to the situation.

Lombard and Hunt share history, as the two got into a brawl following Lombard’s win for the inaugural cruiserweight title back in June at BKFC 18. In the viral video, Hunt was seen infiltrating the ring and getting in Lombard’s face following his win over Joe Riggs.

Lombard, a former Bellator champion, didn’t react well to the gesture and immediately punched Hunt. The two were separated before the situation could escalate any further.

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Lombard remains unbeaten since switching from MMA to bare knuckle boxing. He’s 3-0 win victories over David Mundell, Kendall Grove, and most recently, Riggs. The former Olympic judoka is most notably known for his MMA run as he competed under the Bellator and UFC banners for many years. He last competed in MMA back in 2018 when he suffered a decision loss to Thales Leites at UFC Fight Night 137.

Meanwhile, Hunt’s is 5-1 since switching from MMA to bare knuckle boxing. He’s currently riding a four-fight winning streak with his last victory being a first-round TKO over Josh Dyer at BKFC 17 in April. Hunt competed in MMA from 2015 to 2018, compiling a record of 3-5.

Recently, BKFC fighter Justin Thornton passed away after injuries sustained in a knockout loss at BKFC 20 in August. The promotion and the Mississippi Athletic Commission have under criticism for the matchmaking and the sanctioning of the bout.

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Video: Hector Lombard confronts ‘clown’ Tyron Woodley at BKFC 19, makes accusations

Hector Lombard finally got his long-awaited face-to-face with Tyron Woodley at BKFC 19.

[autotag]Hector Lombard[/autotag] finally got what appears to be a long-awaited face-to-face with [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] at BKFC 19.

Lombard and Woodley both were ringside guests at Friday’s event in Tampa, Fla. The pair share some history: They previously were teammates at American Top Team. They’ve both shed most of their affiliation with the gym over the years, but apparently there’s still some bad blood – at least from Lombard’s side.

Lombard posted a video to his Instagram account Sunday showing him confronting Woodley at BKFC 19 over some drama he says occurred at the gym years prior. There was clear tension between the two as they stood inches away from one another, but things never got physical.

It appears Lombard, a former Bellator champion and current BKFC titleholder, was not satisfied with his interaction with Woodley. He elaborated on the back story with a lengthy post consisting of multiple accusations (via Instagram):

After so many years, finally I got to see this clown twooodley face to face.
He was calling me across the ring waving 👋 etc. I asked him to come over, so he did. Once he did I wanted to slap him in the face, but I contained myself because I have respect for @davidfeldmanbkfc

But let me tell you guys how the beef started…

A while ago I had a girlfriend and things were going really bad between us. And I had a relationship with with another girl at the gym and yes I was wrong for doing that but I’m not perfect in any shape of form. I’m not going to mention who but
this clown sent me a text.

Saying that while she was training she messed up her knee.
And that he was really good at wrapping, that he had experience in those types of injuries etc.
I gave him her number and I told her Tyrone says that he wants to help you, he is going to wrap your knee etc. Are you okay with that? and she says yes, No problem as long I can get better.

After that he was trying in her for a week and a half by bashing me telling her how come Hector is in Louisiana with his girlfriend and you’re here, that’s so wrong that no one likes Hector at the gym, so on and so on!

Putting me down so he could get his d..k wet. Meanwhile he was married with 4 kids etc. pure bullshit @liboriobjj begged me to leave it alone because he would lose his family if his wife found out what happened. He lost it anyways for doing the same

I have everything on text.
This clown 🤡 acts like he is a street guy etc.

No you’re not! lucky you and lucky me I found out you was gone! Remember when I called you and you were at the airport??

Funny how he was apologizing to me, sending me bible stories… you fake!

Everything is starting to unfold…
The truth is finally starting to come out!

Woodley has yet to issue any sort of response to Lombard’s claims. The former UFC welterweight titleholder is currently gearing up for a boxing match with Jake Paul on Aug. 29 in what will be his first combat sports bout since parting ways with the UFC earlier this year.

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Jorge Masvidal, Yoel Romero, others show support for protest against dictatorship in Cuba

Jorge Masvidal, Yoel Romero and others Cuban MMA fighters show support for recent protest against dictatorship in Cuba.

Many Cubans now living in the U.S., as well as Cuban-Americans, have taken to the streets and online to show their support for the unprecedented anti-government protests last week in Cuba.

Among those, several prominent figures in the MMA world have spoken out against Cuba’s communist government. Cuban Olympic medalists [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] and [autotag]Hector Lombard[/autotag], UFC’s [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag], and others have voiced their outrage on the humanitarian crisis growing on the island.

Protests in Cuba began Sunday, July 11, when thousands of people took to the streets in many cities, including the capital Havana, to demand an end of the decades of dictatorship, chanting, ‘Libertad’ (freedom). The discontent with the Cuban government has been brewing for years, but the situation reached an all-time high as conditions have been worsened by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Cubans today face shortages of food, vaccines, and basic necessities.

The last time Cubans took to the streets to protest was in 1994 in an uprising known as Maleconazo, which took place in Havana. The current protest is said to be the biggest anti-government protest in 30 years.

Below is how some of the Cuban and Cuban descent MMA fighters have reacted to the ongoing uprising in their homeland.

Hector Lombard: Jake Paul doesn’t have balls to fight bareknuckle

Hector Lombard says Jake Paul doesn’t have the balls to fight bareknuckle.

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Editor’s note: This article was originally published on MMAJunkie.com.

***

The Paul brothers have been lightning rods for media attention in the combat sports world, so another callout for one of them should come as no surprise.

But when Hector Lombard recently ran it up the flagpole with Jake Paul, it might have been a little different. Lombard says he’s actually a Paul supporter.

That said, he doesn’t think Paul has much interest in stepping outside of the boxing realm and into the bareknuckle world. That’s where Lombard, a former Bellator champion and UFC standout, has been the past year and a half. A week ago, he won the cruiserweight title with a fourth-round TKO of Joe Riggs at BKFC 18.

And while a title defense is next on the horizon for Lombard, he doesn’t see a day when Paul might give bareknuckle fighting a shot. Paul is scheduled to box former UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley next.

“I don’t think he’s ever going to have the balls to fight bareknuckle,” Lombard told MMA Junkie Radio. “This is a guy I’ve been supporting – Jake Paul – way before anybody. I remember when I said on my Instagram that Jake Paul was going to KO Ben Askren, a lot of people laughed at me. But Ben Askren sucks at boxing, so I was right. Jake Paul is a (good) athlete, but I don’t think he’s got the (guts) to ever take the gloves off and fight bareknuckle. I don’t think so. And he can prove me wrong.”

Check out the Lombard’s comments about Paul in the video above.

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Hector Lombard: Jake Paul doesn’t have balls to fight bareknuckle

Hector Lombard says Jake Paul doesn’t have the balls to fight bareknuckle.

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Editor’s note: This article was originally published on MMAJunkie.com.

***

The Paul brothers have been lightning rods for media attention in the combat sports world, so another callout for one of them should come as no surprise.

But when Hector Lombard recently ran it up the flagpole with Jake Paul, it might have been a little different. Lombard says he’s actually a Paul supporter.

That said, he doesn’t think Paul has much interest in stepping outside of the boxing realm and into the bareknuckle world. That’s where Lombard, a former Bellator champion and UFC standout, has been the past year and a half. A week ago, he won the cruiserweight title with a fourth-round TKO of Joe Riggs at BKFC 18.

And while a title defense is next on the horizon for Lombard, he doesn’t see a day when Paul might give bareknuckle fighting a shot. Paul is scheduled to box former UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley next.

“I don’t think he’s ever going to have the balls to fight bareknuckle,” Lombard told MMA Junkie Radio. “This is a guy I’ve been supporting – Jake Paul – way before anybody. I remember when I said on my Instagram that Jake Paul was going to KO Ben Askren, a lot of people laughed at me. But Ben Askren sucks at boxing, so I was right. Jake Paul is a (good) athlete, but I don’t think he’s got the (guts) to ever take the gloves off and fight bareknuckle. I don’t think so. And he can prove me wrong.”

Check out the Lombard’s comments about Paul in the video above.

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BKFC 18 video: Hector Lombard swings on Lorenzo Hunt after defeating Joe Riggs for cruiserweight title

Hector Lombard won BKFC gold in the co-main event on Saturday evening, but that was just the beginning of the drama.

The co-main event of BKFC 18 saw two veterans of MMA mix it up in what proved to be a wild contest filled with controversy during and after the fight.

Former Bellator champion and UFC competitor [autotag]Hector Lombard[/autotag] took on [autotag]Joe Riggs[/autotag] in the third of four title fights on Saturday night.

The fight itself ended in a controversial fashion as Lombard (3-0 BKFC) held on to Riggs’ (2-1-1 BKFC) shorts while landing a clean punch to the eye. As a result, Riggs could not continue because he said he could only see out of one eye, crowning Lombard the cruiserweight champion by doctor’s stoppage.

After the fight, the drama continued.

Just as Lombard was beginning his post-fight interview, fellow BKFC competitor Lorenzo Hunt entered the ring and approached Lombard. The new champion did not appreciate his space being invaded and threw two hard punches at Hunt.

After the scuffle, there would be no post-fight interview from Lombard and the ring was eventually cleared.

Up-to-the-minute results of BKFC 18 include:

    • Hector Lombard def. Joe Riggs via TKO (doctor stoppage) – Round 4, 1:07 *for cruiserweight title
    • Thiago Alves def. Ulysses Diaz via TKO (doctor stoppage) – Round 3, 5:00 *for middleweight title
    • Luis Palomino def. Tyler Goodjohn via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) *for lightweight title
    • Pearl Gonzalez def. Charisa Sigala via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
    • Julian Lane def. Jake Bostwick via unanimous decision (50-44, 50-43, 48-45)
    • Jarod Grant def. Travis Thompson via TKO (doctor stoppage) – Round 4, 0:35
    • Eddie Hoch def. Bruce Lutchmedial via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)
    • Steve Herelius def. Juan Torres via split decision (48-47, 47-48, 49-46)
    • Francisco Ricchi def. Brian Maxwell via TKO – Round 2, 1:25
    • Montaser Aboughaly def. Luke Parson via knockout – Round 1, 0:34
    • Famez def. Paul Teague via knockout – Round 1, 0:17
    • Yosdenis Cedeno def. Alan Arzeno via split decision (49-46, 46-49, 49-46)
    • Eduardo Conception def. Gabriel Brown via knockout – Round 1, 0:05

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