As the days go by, the buzz continues to snowball regarding a potential showdown between Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard (30-2-1 MMA, 7-0 BFC) and free agent Renato "Babalu" Sobral (36-9 MMA, 0-0 BFC).
Details began to trickle out late this past week regarding the possibility of the non-title "super fight" consummating at 205 pounds. The Nov. 19 Bellator 58 event in Hollywood, Fla., was floated as the target date.
But despite the chatter in recent days – and what appears to be the endorsement of all stakeholders – the fight is not yet set in stone.
"I got a call from (Bellator CEO and Chairman) Bjorn (Rebney) ... and he talked to me about the situation that 'Babalu' wanted to fight me," Lombard told MMAjunkie.com this past Friday.
Bellator allows its champions to participate in non-title super fights in order to keep busy while tournaments unfold and new title challengers are flushed out.
That same evening Rebney spoke as if the deal was nearly fait accompli.
"They (Sobral) weren't really on our radar (initially), but then they reached out to us and opened the door and asked for a few things," he said. "We agreed to all of them. … But now we're sitting back and waiting.
"We haven't heard anything back from them ... in three or four days."
Publicaly it appeared as if Sobral and his team were dragging their feet or having second thoughts.
Sobral's manager, Richard Wilner, however, sung a different tune Monday on MMAjunkie.com Radio (
www.mmajunkie.com/radio).
"That's not even close to what happened as the way things materialized," he said. "And they (Bellator) did hear from me as recently as that morning (Friday), both Bjorn and Sam Caplan, the matchmaker. I really don't know what they're talking about.
"Hector's name was proposed to us by Bellator. We come from an old school where it doesn't really matter who we fight. I think Babalu's record says just that. I think that if you compare Babalu's record to anyone in the sport, he's pretty much fought everyone. Whether it's Hector or somebody else isn't the issue."
As the saying goes, there are three sides to every story – our side, their side, and the truth.
Wilner is confident there had to have been some miscommunication at some point.
"I'm giving Bjorn the benefit of the doubt," he said. "But to play devil's advocate, if he did say what he said, I don't know what he'd be trying to do other than trying to negotiate this in the media, which we don't do."
Sobral also wants to make clear at no point was he ever dodging Lombard.
"In my career, people say I'm afraid to fight; whatever, I don't think that's realistic," Sobral said. "I think that's being a joke."
After all, he's the guy who has taken on the likes of Fedor Emelianenko, Dan Henderson, Chuck Liddell, Kevin Randleman, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Chael Sonnen, and on and on throughout his 14-year tenure in MMA.
"I don't think you can compare Hector Lombard to people I've fought before," Sobral said. "Hector Lombard is a tough guy. I'll train to fight him, whoever, the same. I see his words; he said the fight would be easy. That's good for him. I will train to fight him the way I train to fight anyone else. Hector is just one more guy."
Lombard himself reiterated his desire to fight Sobral Tuesday on MMAjunkie.com Radio.
"He wants to fight me, so why not?" Lombard said.
What many people don't realize is their rift originated years ago when the two were training partners at Erik Paulson's CSW Training Center.
It is well documented Lombard likes to go above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to sparring and, for lack of a better term, be the "bully" in the gym. At times it doesn't go over so well in the room.
"I've heard that he's (Sobral) been saying that he used to whoop me up at the gym and stuff like that," Lombard said. "I've just got to keep it very simple – if he used to whoop me up in the gym, why's he got to drop the fight?
"Let's put out the fight together so he can whoop me up in front of everybody. And he'd get paid for it, right? I've got to give him the opportunity to do that."
While the management teams sift through the various contractual hurdles, the fighters continue to ratchet up the rhetoric in the interim through a variety of media.
"We know he's (Sobral) talked [expletive] on the radio and the Internet," Lombard said. "Let's make the fight happen. Let's see what's going to happen."
The public couldn't agree more.
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