Lombard Denied Entry Into U.S.

Cuba's Hector Lombard (Pictures) was set to make his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut Nov. 17 in Newark, New Jersey. There's just one problem: he can't gain entry into the United States, the fighter told Sherdog.com.

"I'm not going to get my visa," said Lombard, who was set to fight welterweight Karo Parisyan (Pictures). "I only have a Cuban passport, so I've been told it's impossible for me to migrate.

"I went to the American embassy twice and they said no to me both times."

Lombard, 11-2-1 (1 NC), represented Cuba as a judoka in the 2000 Sydney Olympic games. While he sports an impressive record, Lombard's two losses came when he stepped up in competition, falling short on points in 183-pound bouts to Akihiro Gono (Pictures) and Gegard Mousasi (Pictures).

The Cuban judoka, who makes his home in Australia, is facing the same visa problems that plagued Renato "Babalu" Sobral's former wrestling coach, Alejo Morales, also a Cuban national. Even though Morales established residency in Brazil, he was never able to travel to the U.S. with "Babalu."

An official announcement regarding Lombard's replacement is expected to be made soon.

LOMBARD STILL ON UFC 78 ROSTER
UFC officials confirmed with The Fight Network yesterday that Hector Lombard (11-2-1, 1 NC), scheduled to face fellow Judoka Karo Parisyan at Nov. 17’s UFC 78 in Newark, N.J., has not been removed from the roster after a report surfaced yesterday that Lombard could not gain entry into the U.S. for the bout.

Cuban-born Lombard, who represented in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, has been unable to secure a visa for the east coast engagement, but his management with Team Quest’s Murrieta, Calif. location is hopeful their client will receive an alternate work visa in time.

Lombard has won four of his last five bouts, and drew with Kyle Noke at July 28’s Cage Fighting Championships in Sydney, Australia. Lombard currently resides in Melbourne.