Lombard aims to compete in Judo in 2016 Olympics

UFC welterweight Hector Lombard is suspended until 2 January 2016, for failing a UFC 182 drug test. In an interview with Submission Radio, Lombard blamed the test failure on a friend, and said he hopes to represent Australia in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

I wanna prove that I don’t need … you know what recently happened with the situation with the UFC,” he said. “I wanna prove that I don’t need anything to compete at the highest level.

Before it happened they never believed that I was … they always believed that I was on something, just because of the way I look and just my physical appearance. But yeah it was one of the hardest things that I’ve ever been going through – and I’ve been through a lot. But it’s actually what motivates me to stay longer in the game, because I wanna prove that I need none of that to compete at the highest level.

I felt that I lost everything in one go. You know, I was stupid. I shouldn’t have listened to anyone. And it’s funny ’cause Joe Rogan make a comment about like ‘Oh you know that pill has been around forever.’ Like ‘how come he, you know wanted to go around the system’ or ‘he wanted to beat the system.’ I didn’t wanna beat no system. I mean I thought that pill was to make me feel better and obviously it didn’t. But I will prove once again that there is Hector here for a long time.

Lombard’s narrative is that he was feeling flu-like symptoms, and took a pill given to him by Canadian Olympic medalist in weight lifting Julie Malenfant Northrup. He said he thought the pill was an all natural, over the counter supplement, and thus he did not need to disclose it to the NSAC or his coaches. It was in fact the anabolic steroid desoxymethyltestosterone (DMT).

He says they are no longer friends.

How can (I) be friends with the person that destroyed me,” said Lombard. “I mean obviously she said that she didn’t know about it; but you know reality is, like I lost it all and I got a big fine. I got the biggest suspension ever. I mean obviously they proved a point with me. But I gotta take it in a positive way, and thanks to that I’m coming back to do a lot of things. I have the opportunity to compete in Abu Dhabi. I always wanted to do that. And without this situation I wouldn’t be able to, or I wouldn’t think, I wouldn’t have thought about competing in Abu Dhabi this year and stuff like that. So it’s the new journey that I’m gonna go through.

The newest NSAC guidelines suggest a three-year suspension for PED test failure. Lombard, 37, said he was glad he did not face that level of punishment now.

“I mean a few years of my career, it would have been devastating,” he said. “You know what I mean? I’m not a young fighter. And three years, I basically would’ve been gone. I would be doing something else. But yeah I’m kind of like, I’m a bit relived about that.

It’s like six months ahead of me again. So basically I’m almost there. So I’m gonna be competing in a lot of grappling competitions and then I’m gonna compete in Abu Dhabi, and next thing I know I’ll be back in the UFC and we’ll be right and fighting again. But this is an experience and I warn the young fighters out there – be more careful and do not trust anyone to give any supplements, any drinks, and take this very serious because they can screw your career. It happened to me and it can happen to anyone.

Lombard also acknowledged that watching the division move along without him is painful.

It made me cry sometimes, but it is what it is,” he said. “I mean, I believe that everything happens for a reason. It’s like you say, what if I would’ve the same thing that happened to me would’ve happened two or three months after? I would be gone. I know I’m gonna get back. I know that I’m gonna be fighting soon and I’m gonna be winning, but what devastates me the most is I wanted to fight so bad on the Melbourne card [UFC 193] and all that is gone.

Lombard also discussed when it is time to retire.

You know I wouldn’t call it luck in my career, but you know I think that when you get a lot of beatings in your fights and stuff like that, you’re going for a lot of knockouts and stuff, (it) slows you down,” he said. “But as long as you’re healthy and as long as you haven’t taken that beating in your few fights, I think that you’re still a younger fighter. And I call myself a younger fighter for that reason. I mean, my reflexes are still there, my strength is still there, and I’ve been doing Judo and wrestling and grappling with all these guys. I feel better now than last year. So, don’t know. I mean who knows when I’m gonna be finished?

“But right now I feel great. There’s a few people, like Bernard Hopkins. He’s 50 years old, 55. George Foreman and all these people, they were like over 50, they still fight. I’m not saying I’m gonna be still fighting when I’m 50, but I believe that even Mark Hunt, he’s about 42, you know still fighting. So like I said, I feel young. I mean training with all these younger guys at the gym, and still faster than them, and still stronger than them. So right now for me, that’s not even an issue. I’m not even thinking about that at the moment.

“But trust me, when you see it at the gym that the strength is not there and the power is not there, reflexes are gone. Yeah it’s time for you to call it a day. ‘Cause everything happens in the gym first. And once that starts happening at the gym, I’m definitely gonna start thinking about retirement. But at the moment I feel better than everyone at the gym to be honest.