Hector Lombard has revealed that he’s decided to move back up to the middleweight division as he points the finger of blame at the IV ban for his cardio issues during a loss to Neil Magny at UFC Fight Night 85.
Lombard had come close to stopping Magny in the opening round of the fight, but appeared to tire after that as his opponent found his second wind and eventually TKO’d him in the final five minutes.
“I asked my body to perform, but I got no reply,” Lombard said on Twitter. “When your body says no and stops functioning there is nothing you can do about it. I’m very happy to be back fighting at my original weight 185. Now with no IV allowed, I will be able to fight in a healthier weight for me.”
Lombard’s defeat came after a year long suspension from the sport, having tested positive for steroids following a win over Josh Burkman at UFC 182 in January of 2015. That win was amended to a no-contest ruling, and means that in total Lombard produced a 2-1 (+1nc) record during his time at 170lbs.
Now he moves back up to 185lbs where he has earned just one win in three fights, having defeat Rousimar Palhares, but lost to both Tim Boetsch and Yushin Okami.
