Update: 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's currently being denied entry into
the United States.
"I'm not going to get my visa," Lombard told Sherdog.com on Sunday. "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."
On Monday, the fighter's American representatives told Sherdog.com that in spite of Lombard's difficulties they remain hopeful he will be granted a P1 visa, which is available to athletes and entertainers coming to the U.S. to participate in internationally recognized events for a U.S. employer.
Lombard, 11-2-1 (1 NC), represented Cuba as a judoka in the 2000 Sydney Olympic games and is scheduled to fight Karo Parisyan (Pictures) in the Octagon.
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."
"I'm not going to get my visa," Lombard told Sherdog.com on Sunday. "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."
On Monday, the fighter's American representatives told Sherdog.com that in spite of Lombard's difficulties they remain hopeful he will be granted a P1 visa, which is available to athletes and entertainers coming to the U.S. to participate in internationally recognized events for a U.S. employer.
Lombard, 11-2-1 (1 NC), represented Cuba as a judoka in the 2000 Sydney Olympic games and is scheduled to fight Karo Parisyan (Pictures) in the Octagon.
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."
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