Gegard Mousasi: Hector Lombard 'still talks sh-t' nearly a decade after PRIDE

Gegard Mousasi

If one were to rank the most “no nonsense” fighters in the UFC, Gegard Mousasi would almost certainly be near the top of the list.

Mousasi (35-5-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC), who fights Dan Henderson (30-12 MMA, 7-6 UFC) in the co-main event of UFC on FOX 14 this Saturday night (FOX, 8 p.m. ET), rarely has a bad word to say about his opponents and has no “hit list” of fighters he wants to knock off next.

However, it does appear that Mousasi takes note of those who talk trash long after a fight is over.

While speaking to MMAjunkie Radio, Mousasi was asked about his last fight in PRIDE, a 2006 welterweight grand prix decision win over Hector Lombard (35-4-1 MMA, 4-2 UFC), and if he ever runs into old opponents and has a laugh about the way MMA used to be.

“Not with Lombard – I don’t think we’re friends. But (Ronaldo) ‘Jacare’ (Souza), he’s a friend. I’ve seen him a couple times,” Mousasi said. “Other than that I have no problems with any other opponents.”

When asked to expand on why he isn’t friends with Lombard, Mousasi’s response was simple and to the point: “I don’t know. He still talks sh-t.” He would only expand on that to the point of, “I read some comments that he said.”

As far back as 2011, Lombard suggested to media that PRIDE tricked him into the Mousasi fight, talking him into a fight on only two weeks’ notice after signing his contract and insisting it would be against someone young and inexperienced. While Mousasi was young, he came into the fight as a well-traveled veteran of 16 fights. In a 2011 interview, Lombard said, “Today, if that fight happens, I will finish him in the first round. I will even move up to 205 to get that fight if he doesn’t want to fight me at 185.”

Even late last year, Lombard was telling MMA outlets he wants to “beat Mousasi up.”

The two are currently in different divisions, Lombard at welterweight and Mousasi at middleweight, so there’s no indication that this is an issue the two will settle in the cage any time soon.

UFC on FOX 14 takes place Saturday at Tele2 Arena in Stockholm. The main card airs live on FOX (8 p.m. ET) following prelims on FOX Sports 1 (5 p.m. ET) and UFC Fight Pass (4 p.m. ET).

For more on UFC on FOX 14, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

MMAjunkie Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show, available on SiriusXM channel 92, is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.