Lombard (24-2-1) will instead face off against former UFC veteran Jay Silva (5-3) who was previously scheduled to fight in another bout on the show. The fight takes place at the Monroe Civic Center in Monroe, La., and will air LIVE on FOX Sports Net and during special weekend highlight shows on NBC, Telemundo and mun2.
“We worked very hard to get Paulo here for this fight but, despite all of our efforts, we were unable to make that happen,” Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney said today. “Instead, we now have an intriguing fight between Hector Lombard and Jay Silva, who has an exciting, aggressive style. Coming off of losses in the UFC, I know Jay is hungry for a big win and will be looking to make a name for himself against Hector, one of the best middleweights in the world.”
Silva, an East Coast native, learned Brazilian jiu-jitsu from Renzo Gracie and currently trains at Gracie’s gym alongside MMA notables Cheick Kongo and Quinton Jackson. Lombard, meanwhile, is undefeated in his last 18 fights including his three-fight rampage through Bellator’s Season 1 Middleweight Tournament.
Other fights on this Thursday’s Bellator 18 card include two Season 2 Featherweight Tournament semifinal fights: former World Champion Greco-Roman Wrestling Champion Joe Warren (3-1) versus former pro soccer player Georgi “Insane” Karakhanyan (13-1-1) and a battle of two Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts, Patricio Pitbull (13-0) and Wilson Reis (10-1).
Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com.
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator.
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