As far as Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard (30-2-1 MMA, 7-0 BFC) understood it, Renato "Babalu" Sobral (36-9 MMA, 0-0 BFC) wanted to fight him at 205 pounds.
Whether or not that's the case, Lombard told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) he's up for the challenge.
Apparently, so, too, is Bellator CEO and chairman and Bjorn Rebney, who hopes to book the non-title fight for a Nov. 19 Bellator 58 event in Hollywood, Fla.
"I got a call from Bjorn ... and he talked to me about the situation that 'Babalu' wanted to fight me," Lombard told MMAjunkie.com on Friday night. "He wanted the fight at 205 pounds."
The Cuban-Australian judoka considers himself a smaller middleweight, and he hasn't competed at light heavyweight in more than five years. But the fighter, whom Rebney has said even expressed interest in fighting at 170 pounds, said he is willing to move up for Sobral, a former Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion who's long competed at 205 pounds.
Lombard, though, isn't sure why Sobral hasn't officially accepted the fight. MMAjunkie.com could not immediately reach the Brazilian's representatives for comment.
Rebney today said that Sobral's team initially pursued the fight aggressively. The fight executive said he agreed to all their demands: the fight taking place at 205 pounds, the compensation for the bout, and the amount of time for a two-month camp.
"I've been a big 'Babalu' fan for a lot of years," Rebney said. "They weren't really on our radar, but then they reached out to us and opened the door and asked for a few things. We agreed to all of them. ... But now we're siting back and waiting.
"We haven't heard anything back from them ... in three or four days."
Lobard is getting anxious, as well.
"I said, 'I'm here to fight. Let's just make the fight happen as soon as possible,'" he said. "It wouldn't be one of the easiest fights of my career. But he's got a good name."
He said he's now just waiting for his would-be opponent to green light it.
Such a fight would be a major coup for Bellator. The organization has a policy that only tournament winners get title shots, and currently, no tourney champions are on deck for Lombard, who's the top-ranked 185-pounder not under contract to the UFC or Strikeforce. As in past seasons, officials then book their titleholders for non-title "super fights" to keep them active.
But the middleweight division hasn't exactly produced big-name opponents for Lombard's bouts. After winning the season-one tournament, Lombard has defeated Jay Silva (a late replacement for MIA Paulo Filho), NFL vet Herbert "Whisper" Goodman and veteran Falaniko Vitale in non-title fights.
Although Sobral hasn't fought since a December Strikeforce loss to Dan Henderson, he would be a credible threat to Lombard. And that's been the biggest complaint about Lombard, whose current 24-fight win streak features many solid opponents but few households names.
Source: Bellator champ Hector Lombard willing to move to 205 pounds for "Babalu" fight
