Niko Vitale is not afraid of Hector Lombard. The veteran journeyman has even gone so far as to send out a press release stating that his upcoming superfight with the Bellator middleweight champion will not be going to the judges, he will be victorious with a knockout or a submission. Very interesting. Considering Niko has only let the judges determine his fate 7 times in nearly 40 matches and will be attempting to finish a man who has never been finished in Hector Lombard, I suggest everyone tune into MTV2 this Saturday to view what would be commonly referred to as a ‘burning barn’, or something like that.
Niko realizes defeating Hector let alone finishing him will be a tall order, but he has been here before. Dude has taken on and beaten the likes of Kalib Starnes, Yushin Okami and Matt Lindland (hey, it’s a W) and now he looks to add championship size notch to his belt, even if it’s a non-title affair. We caught up with Vitor briefly to discuss his upcoming Bellator superfight this Saturday on MTV2.
What do you plan to bring into the cage that his previous opponents haven’t? I’m going to weather the storm, put the pressure on for this fight.
What will it mean if you do win? How do you feel about superfights and this being non title? It doesn’t matter, its just another fight for me. A victory would definitely boost my career in fighting.
You have defeated some huge names in the world of MMA, will this be the ultimate feather in your cap or does Hector not really phase you? I just want able to tell my kids that I fought amongst the best in the world.
A lot of people seem to lose before they ever even get in the cage with Hector, are you ready mentally to beat him? I will definitely be physically and mentally ready for Hector. I hear he’s a punk in the Gyms. He style doesn’t phase me.
What are Hector’s weaknesses that you see and want to exploit? He drops his hands a lot and maybe his gas tank might be a problem for him.
Did you see his match with Alex Schlemenko? It doesn’t matter just want to fight the best in the world.
Would you be interested in fighting Schlemenko in the future? Sure! That would be a good fight.
How long can we expect you in Bellator for? As long as they want me in Bellator
Is anything going on with Shine fights? I don’t know, never talk to them.
Before your career is finished, are there any more dream fights you would love to partake in? I got unsettled fights I want take care of. Other than that just want to fight the best guys out there.
You beat Okami, does he have a chance against Anderson Silva this August? Okami would have to come after Silva and take him to the ground. If he keeps it standing we all know where that is going…(laughs).
What can you do to stop the opening flurry, Hector comes out and knocks people out in 20 seconds like nothing. It won’t happen.
Is Hector overrated? Not sure, I think the he’s done well for himself as a fighter. As for rating him as fighter I leave that up to you guys.
Will you be in the next middleweight tournament? I think so. As far as I know…
Specifically what submission do you foresee yourself winning with? Rear naked would be nice.
Published on May 11, 2011 at 2:22 am
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