UFC 149's Boetsch: New opponent Lombard more of a contender than Bisping
UFC 149's Boetsch: New opponent Lombard more of a contender than Bisping
Quote:
This is how much of a damn Tim Boetsch (15-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) gave when the UFC socked him with Hector Lombard (31-2-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) instead of Michael Bisping.
When his wife woke him to news of the switch, which put him in the co-main event of UFC 149 and Bisping on the disabled list, you'd think he'd already given his 100th interview on the subject.
"That's going to be a tough fight," he told her, "but to be the best, you have to beat everybody."
Then he went back to sleep.
UFC 149 takes place Saturday at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The event's main card airs live on pay-per-view while FX and Facebook host preliminary-card fights.
Once a 2-2 veteran stuck in the middle of the middleweight pack, Boetsch's confidence swelled with a come-from-behind win over Yushin Okami, which marked his third straight win and his seventh victory in eight fights since late 2009. Now, he looks to give Lombard his first UFC loss in as many octagon fights.
"Just because I'm not fighting somebody who's can run their mouth real well doesn't take anything away from (the fact that) Hector is one of the top fighters in the world," Boetsch told MMAjunkie.com Radio (MMAjunkie.com Radio | MMAjunkie.com). "It's going to shoot me close to the top when I take him out."
Lombard's nearly unbroken win streak of six years and 25 fights has already earmarked him as a possible contender should he get past Boetsch. Some have complained that the former Bellator champ is cutting in line – namely ahead of Bisping, who withdrew from the fight due to a needed knee surgery. Boetsch, however, feels honored to welcome him into the UFC.
"This guy comes to fight every time," he said. "He's riding a huge win streak of fights in front of big crowds, and the dude just loves to fight. He's coming to try and take my head off. I don't think he's going to have any jitters at all coming into the UFC."
Quote:
"As long as I'm still standing, I'm going to try to win it," Boetsch promised. "That's just my style. It always has been. I think it's going to be a better fight for the fans.
"It's going to be nasty whether it is the greatest card in the history of fighting or not. Hector's going to sprint across the cage and try to kill me for the get-go. I'm always looking to finish my opponents."
And Boetsch isn't sleeping on Bisping.
"Bisping might talk about how he deserves a title shot, but at the end of the day, getting knee surgery doesn't put you in the No. 1 contender spot – winning fights does, and Hector's been winning fights for a long time."
UFC 149's Boetsch: New opponent Lombard more of a contender than Bisping 
Linear Mode
