10. Lombard’s Reign of Terror
Although former Cuban Olympian Hector Lombard had been around the MMA scene for a while -- he compiled an 18-2-1 record, with his only two defeats coming under the Pride Fighting Championships banner -- it was his run in Bellator that fully trained the eyes of the MMA world on the stocky sparkplug.
Lombard’s run in Bellator was one of the most terrifying we have ever seen, as his punching flurries connected with a brand of speed and power more akin to a wrecking ball on Red Bull than a human fist. While the competition might have been underwhelming in quality, Lombard’s performances certainly were not, and aside from Shlemenko, none of them put up much resistance: Trevor Prangley survived six minutes, Falaniko Vatale 10, and neither Herbert Goodman nor Jay Silva made it past the 40-second mark of the first round. With the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s middleweight division looking moribund during Anderson Silva’s reign, more than a few people openly wondered whether “Lightning” might be the man to dethrone him.
The Cuban parlayed his thunderous hands and judo base into an enormous free-agent contract with the UFC, and while we never got to see Lombard-Silva, the current sixth-ranked welterweight has done pretty well for himself nonetheless.
Number 9 » For a promotion badly in need of some sizzle to go along with a lot of really good steak, these signings and dramatic entrances were exactly what the doctor ordered, as they brought a substantial amount of attention to Bellator. Serious observers had few illusions about the long-term future of two fighters in the twilight of their careers, but the promotion needed eyeballs, and they certainly brought them.