Tim Boetsch quashes Hector Lombard’s dreams and wins via split decision at UFC 149 – UFC News
Tim Boetsch, the former Combat League light heavyweight champion, collected an impressive split decision over debutant Hector Lombard, former CFC, Bellator and AFC middleweight champion, in a three-round bout held on July 21, 2012.
The duo co-headlined UFC 149 pay-per-view which was televised live from Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The event was headlined by the interim bantamweight title bout between Urijah Faber and Renan Barao.
Before the bout, it was hypothecated that Hector, who was coming off a hefty 25-bout win streak, will create havoc in the octagon in fact will annihilate Tim easily.
However, at the end of the day, the whole arena and especially Dana White got shocked when Tim nullified Lombard’s each and every move to eventually collect his fourth straight UFC win.
Hector, 34, was undoubtedly the favourite not only because he grabbed a number of titles while ruling other mixed martial art promotions before coming to UFC but also because he possessed a hefty 35-bout experience as compared to Tim’s 19-bout resume.
During the three-round bout, the duo mostly evaded each other and adopted a defensive stance. Lombard, also known as ‘The Lightning’, well known for his swift agility and speed, unfortunately exhibited a sluggish performance.
Tim took full advantage of this fact and secured a takedown in the very first round. Lombard, after a few seconds, emphatically replied with his own takedown attempt. The second round witnessed Lombard show a bit aggressive style but Tim countered each and
every strike and kick easily.
During the third round, in the final seconds, Lombard attempted a successful takedown. Tim immediately broke the grip and moved out of it to connect a powerful knee. The bout ended and two of the three judges allocated 29-28 to Tim with the remaining one
awarded the bout via 29-28 to Hector.
After the split decision win, Tim stated, “I was glad to give him his first loss (since 2006), though I wasn't too thrilled with how things went. I landed a few strikes. My foot is a testament to that. Hector is heavy handed and a tough fighter. He is going
to beat up a lot of guys and put on a lot of good fights in the UFC. He's a power striker, but I knew that and was able to put together a good strategy to beat him.”
With this victory, Tim has collected his 16th career win whereas Hector has received his third loss and first ever in almost five years.
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