Fresh off his drubbing of yet another lackluster opponent, Bellator Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard has been asked to put his 185-pound strap on the line against ruthless Russian Alexander Shlemenko later this year.

Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney made the announcement at last night's Bellator 24 post-fight press conference.

"Tonight proved to be another great night of fights at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. We love coming here and can not wait for our return in October when Hector Lombard will face Alexander Shlemenko for the Bellator Middleweight Championship."

Lombard's 38-second knockout of "Whisper" Goodman on Aug. 12 ran his unbeaten streak to 20, an impressive feat no matter the level of competition, which has recently come under some scrutiny. The 27-2-1 fighter has now finished 15 of his victims via KO. 

"Hektor's" middleweight title defense, likely for October 28 at Bellator 34, will see him take a step up in competition, albeit a minor one, as he faces the 26-year old Shlemenko.

"Storm" has been on an impressive run of his own, suffering defeat only once in his last 16 contests. Alexander has gone 5-0 in 2010, most recently finishing Bryan Baker in the first round back at Bellator 23 in June.

With a career mark of 30-4, the 5'11" kickboxing ace has a chance to make a huge statement against the Mike Tyson-esque Lombard this fall.

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more information on Bellator 34 as it becomes available.