UFC 149: Dana White finds some positives in Tim Boetsch's win over Hector Lombard

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

There are two sides to every fight, and while the big story out of UFC 149's co-main event was Hector Lombard's poor performance after a hyped up debut, the flip side is another major win for Tim Boetsch. The 31-year-old Boetsch felt like he broke his foot in the second round, yet still ended up taking a split decision over the highly touted Lombard.

In a night filled with negatives, the fact that Boetsch was able to follow up a fantastic come-from-behind win over Yushin Okami with a win over another highly regarded fighter was one positive for UFC President Dana White.

"I think you look at a guy like Lombard, he comes in on a 20-fight winning streak, and the fight was horrible," White said at the post fight press conference (transcribed by MMAJunkie.com). "But if you look [from the other angle] at a guy like Boetsch, Boetsch is this underdog. He came out of nowhere and beats Yushin Okami... [Now] he beats a guy on a 20-fight win streak, and he beat one of the best 185-pounders in the world now for a long time. Again, the positive out of the negative. Boetsch won the fight."

That doesn't mean the performance will push Boetsch to the front of the line in the middleweight division, but White said it still puts him in a solid spot.

"After beating Okami and Lombard now," White said, "this guy has put himself in a very, very good position."

For his part, Boetsch understood that the less-than-spectacular performance wouldn't get him a title shot next. Still, he wants to put the work in to prove that he should get one soon enough.

"The vibe in the room says no [I won't get a title shot]," Boetsch commented, "but I'm ready for whoever. I train hard enough, and if I keep beating enough people, I'll get that title shot, and I'll prove what I need to do."

"I know I can do it. As soon as this foot heals up and I can get back to training, I'm going to grind it out. I'm going to do whatever it takes to get there."

Penick's Analysis: Boetsch's gameplan was smart, even if it didn't lead to a wholly exciting fight. He was able to keep distance with leg kicks against Lombard throughout the fight, even after breaking his foot, and he landed some decent combinations in spots of the fight. It was effective enough considering Lombard wasn't doing a ton himself, and though it wasn't entirely convincing it was still a win. He's undefeated now at middleweight, and he'll be in the mix of high-end fight bookings as the UFC continues to figure out how the middleweight division will play out.

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