Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight contender Hector Lombard isn't worried about Josh Burkman, who returns to the Octagon against "Showeather" at the UFC 182 pay-per-view (PPV) event, which takes place on Jan. 3, 2015 inside MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
That's because the former Bellator middleweight titleholder has already disposed of former champions from competing promotions, including two from Strikeforce (Jake Shields, Nate Marquardt) and one from World Series of Fighting (Rousimar Palhares).
And Lombard tells Submission Radio that Burkman will soon join that illustrious list to kick off his 2015 fight campaign.
"He's another former champion that I'm gonna beat. And I'm really looking forward to it. I know I beat two former Strikeforce champions. This is gonna be the second WSOF champion that I beat, because you know the first one was [Rousimar] Palhares and he's going to be the second one. I think that I'm the best at, you know at all in the 170-pound division at every area. Not only better than him [Burkman], I'm better than everyone up there, but that's my opinion. I think that I won't have any problems with my body for this one, but yeah to be honest I'm not really worried about him that much. I mean as long as I make my weight right."
After a rough start to his UFC career, Lombard (34-4-1, 1 NC) has since notched two straight victories by dropping to welterweight and is currently ranked No. 6 in the division. Burkman (27-10) is unranked, but the promotion had little choice in the match up, since "Showeather" couldn't find a date to the big dance.
Anyone taking "The People's Warrior" in the upset?