UFC
UFC 149's Hector Lombard wants Mark Munoz, not Anderson Silva, after Tim Boetsch bout
Jul 18, 2012 - 6:05:22 PM UFC 149's Hector Lombard wants Mark Munoz, not Anderson Silva, after Tim Boetsch bout

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Chris Weidman may have a better chance at getting the next title shot against UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, as his main competition for the spot, UFC 149's Hector Lombard, now says he doesn't want that fight next after UFC 149.

In an interview with MMAJunkie.com, Lombard revealed that there's one man he'd like to fight after facing Tim Boetsch on Saturday night, and one man only.

"Saturday, I'm focused on this fight," Lombard said. "And after that, I'm going to call Mark Munoz out. I'm focused on the fight, but I'm going to call out Mark Munoz after. That's my goal."

"I'm going to make a statement no matter what. But after that, I'm going to beat up Mark Munoz."

It's a surprising stance considering the UFC may be willing to offer him a title shot if he defeats Boetsch decisively. However, for Lombard, he's got some personal business he wants to take care of against the man Weidman defeated just last week at UFC on Fuel 4.

"He's been talking a lot of trash about me," Lombard said. "I'm one of those fighters that I don't like to talk about any fighter. I'm focused on myself. When I see people that do the wrong things, I have to do something about it."

"One hundred percent [I'd turn down a title fight]. You got it. I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to talk about him. I just want to fight him. I want to fight him bad."

Penick's Analysis: Regardless of anything Munoz may have said about Lombard, it would be insane for him to turn down a title fight with Silva in order to take that fight. Munoz just got beat in decisively dominant fashion by Weidman, and Lombard has absolutely nothing to gain by going from Boetsch to Munoz in his UFC career. If he's offered a fight against Anderson Silva, that's the fight he should take, considering where he's entering in the UFC's middleweight division. Going backwards doesn't make any sense, regardless of his personal reasons for wanting to fight Munoz.

[Hector Lombard photo (c) Henry Dziekan III]