Hector Lombard became the first Bellator champion to successfully defend a championship, outlasting Alexander Shlemenko to retain the middleweight title in the main event of Bellator 34.The win didn't come easily for the Cuban-born Lombard, however. After winning his last two fights in a combined 44 seconds, this one was a marathon, going the full 25 minutes to become the longest fight in his career.
As is his custom, Lombard came out guns blazing in the first round, rocking Shlemenko early as he looked for his fourth straight first-round finish, but Shlemenko weathered the storm and fought gamely throughout.
Lombard slowed down significantly as the fight wore on and fell victim to some of Shlemenko's varied striking arsenal, but he continually resorted to takedowns, putting Shlemenko on his back repeatedly. All three judges scored the fight 49-46 for Lombard.
"Yeah I was surprised [Shlemenko lasted the distance], but he's a tough guy," Lombard said. "No excuses. I don't feel 100 percent but I still got the win so I'm happy with it."
The victory leaves Lombard unbeaten in 21 straight fights, as he improved to 27-2-1. Lombard didn't leave before calling out another champ, Strikeforce belt-holder Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza.
"Jacare, I want your belt," he said.
Shlemenko fell to 30-5 with the loss
In the women's 115-pound tournament finale, Zoila Frausto upset Megumi Fujii in a close split-decision, capturing the first-ever Bellator women's championship while handing the Japanese ace her first-ever defeat.
Fujii abandoned her usual grappling-heavy game plans and chose to strike with Frausto. On their feet, Fujii landed with more accuracy while Frausto landed the harder strikes, making for difficult rounds to score.
"It's the best feeling in the world," said Frausto (10-1). "A lot of people said I couldnt do it. I've been through so much, I deserve it. I worked so hard, and I've got the Lord to thank."
Fujii, who had 18 of her 22 career wins by submission, didn't put Frausto on the mat until there were 30 seconds left in the fight, but she never came close to a submission. Still, many likely walked away with the belief Fujii should have left victorious as she seemed to control the location of the fight and left Frausto with a badly swollen eye.
Fujii came into the tournament considered to be the top female pound-for-pound fighter in the world, but she'd never won a title. That run was expected to end at Bellator 34, but instead, she fell to 22-1 with the first loss of her career.
"I wanted to fight in her area," Fujii said. "I did a lot of striking but I did my best."
In a middleweight preliminary bout, Mike Bernhard topped Dragan Tesanovic in a unanimous decision by 30-27, 29-28, 29-28 scores. Bernhard (9-2) handed Tesanovic his first loss in the process, as he fell to 7-1.
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