'Really sick' Hector Lombard blames Julie's mystery pill for UFC 182 steroids bust

Since testing positive for the anabolic steroid desoxymethyltestosterone after his win over Josh Burkman at UFC 182 earlier this year, Hector Lombard has kept a low profile.

Until today.

The former Bellator Middleweight champion did release a statement after getting suspended for one year and fined $106,000 by Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), apologizing to Ultimate Fighting Championship, the fans and Burkman. However, he did not reveal details behind the drug test fail until a recent appearance on The MMA Hour this afternoon.

And it's a doozy.

Lombard broke his silence about his transgression, saying it is not totally his fault. He was sick leading up to the match and ingested pills he took from a "friend of a friend" who he thought he could trust to feel better.

He explains:

"It was quite difficult, but I always believe everything happens for a reason. I don't want to beat around the bush. A lot of people think that I was injecting with some 'roids and stuff like that. They don't even know the true story. What really happened was, I trusted a person that I shouldn't trust. She was an Olympic competitor, and I'm paying for that. She told me, 'Take these pills.' I felt sick before the Olympics, and I know your sick, take the pills and you are going to feel better, trust me.' So I went ahead and I took the pill. Actually, the pill screwed me up. I send you all the text messages with me and her. You see it. I know a lot of people aren't going to believe me anyways. But, I have the proof and I'll show you. I was pretty upset with the whole situation, but, I am okay now. She gave me the pill and my mistake was that I didn't ask anyone. I took it, and I thought it was natural. I wasn't expecting that a pill I would have such a strong effect."

Lombard also revealed that he took the pills -- which he was told could be purchased over the counter -- after weigh-ins to help him get over the flu, which was troubling in the days leading up to the fight.

"I was sick, man, you saw me after the fight I couldn't talk., I can barley talk, I had the flu, cutting weight, I couldn't talk. I talked to you a couple of days after Vegas because the first few days I couldn't talk. In the interviews I did, you can see I was really, really sick. I always believed it was meant to happen, because if I would've felt good, I wouldn't be experimenting with something new or experimenting with things I don't take. In the back of my mind, I was like, 'I need to feel better, I need to feel better.' During training, I was about to pass out a few times. And now I am paying for experimenting with something new."

The former Bellator champ didn't play the discretion game, openly revealing the first name of the person who provided him with the pills. As it turns out, she was also a former Olympian.

"She's a friend of a friend named Julie. I can't even pronounce her last name. I met her through a friend of mine. She came across very knowledgeable about the whole Olympic trials, knowledgeable about all the drug testing and all of that. I trust her."

As far as the backlash Lombard received from the mixed martial arts (MMA) community (see it here), he says his feelings are not hurt because he's dealt with accusations most of his career.

But, to set the record straight, Lombard adamantly declared that he has never knowingly taken any performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). Still, after it's all is said and done, Lombard admits he is "very disappointed in his stupidity" for not taking the time to research before experimenting with new things.

And the company he keeps.