Source: ufcmania.com
Cuban Judo specialist Hector Lombard is unable to obtain a visa for his 170-pound showdown with Karo Parisyan at UFC 78: “Validation” on November 17, according to Sherdog.com.
Here’s a snip:
“I’m not going to get my visa. I only have a Cuban passport, so I’ve been told it’s impossible for me to migrate. I went to the American embassy twice and they said no to me both times.”
Lombard now lives in Australia. He was expected to make his Octagon debut at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. against another top Judo fighter in “The Heat.”
There’s no word on who might replace Lombard. Fortunately, there is more than one month to find a replacement, which gives the opponent just enough time to put in a decent training camp.
In our conversation with Josh Koscheck over the weekend he actually said that he hopes that someone gets scratched from an event so that he can get back to action earlier than January or February (2008). His training partner at American Kickboxing Academy (AKA), Jon Fitch, would also be a fantastic fill-in.
Again, there’s no word on a possible opponent and the mentions of Koscheck or Fitch filling in are just wishful thinking at the moment.
