Former Bellator MMA and BKFC champion Hector Lombard has signed on to face UFC veteran Thiago Silva at Eagle FC’s May 20, 2022 event in Miami, Florida.
Promotion President Khabib Nurmagomedov confirmed the match-up to ESPN on Wednesday. MMA Fighting was first to report news of Lombard’s signing.
Lombard (34-10-1, 2NC), 44, claimed the Bellator MMA middleweight title in 2009, winning the promotion’s inaugural middleweight tournament to do so. The PRIDE veteran, who also held the CFC middleweight championship in Australia, defended the Bellator 185lb belt once, in 2010, before vacating the title.
The Cuban-born fighter joined the UFC in 2012, where he was looked at as an immediate contender. However, title aspirations never materialized for Lombard in the UFC. He’d drop his debut against Tim Boetsch, losing a split decision, stop Rousimar Phalares, then lose his second fight in three outings with the company against Yushin Okami. After that, Lombard finally put some wins together, winning three straight — only for his win over Josh Burkman to be overturned do to a failed drug test for anabolic steroid DMT (Desoxymethyltestosterone).
That was at UFC 182 in 2015. Lombard hasn’t won a fight in MMA since. Lombard lost his final six fights for the UFC, the last coming in 2018, then moved to bare-knuckle boxing, where he posted a 3-1 record that included winning the inaugural BKFC cruiserweight championship last year.
No less controversial is former UFC athlete Thiago Silva. Silva (21-9, 2NC) last competed in 2019, in a losing effort against Martin Zawada under the KSW banner. The Brazilian compiled a 7-3, 2NC record through 12 fights in the UFC from 2007 to 2013. However, he was given the boot by the company due to a domestic violence case which saw Silva charged in connection with an incident involving his ex-wife and another man.
While charges were later dropped, resulting in Silva briefly being brought back into the promotion, he was cut again after video of him brandishing a gun in front of his ex-wife was posted online.
Per ESPN’s report, Lombard vs. Silva will serve as the May 20, 2022 Eagle FC co-main event. The card is expected to take place at the FLXcast Arena in Miami, Florida, airing live on the FLXcast App.
