While the term "world class" can often be overused, it's hard to argue that Hector Lombard will be undeserving when he takes the stage at Submission Underground 3 at Roseland Theater in Portland, Oregon, on Sunday, Jan. 29.

A current UFC welterweight, Lombard heads into his matchup with Gary Tonon, an elite leg-lock specialist, with an impressive list of accomplishments that includes an Olympic appearance with the Cuban national judo team and a Bellator middleweight title reign.

But in order to better grasp the grappling style and lineage of Lombard, you must first understand the history of Cuban judo. 

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With the large body of competitive judo limiting submissions to chokes or joint attacks on the arm, we have seen an environment cultivated among many judo communities that focuses more on the Nage-waza (throwing techniques) as opposed to Ne-waza (groundwork).

Even judoka officials are not known to allow for much time to work on pins and submissions, which subsequently force competitors to emphasize on throws to accomplish ippon (the highest score awarded). Although the regimentation of judo in the early 1900s eventually earned the sport a spot in the Olympics in 1964, one could argue that Cuba has quietly carried the spirit of judo both in purity and innovation.

Not only does the Cuban style embrace the Ne-waza with the Nage-waza, but it also embodies a unique flow to its overall Katame-waza (grappling techniques) -- a nod to the country's multi-cultural influences. In fact, Cuba's history of a submission-rich style of judo may not come as a surprise when you consider that it came from the same man who would introduce the Gracie family to jiu-jitsu.

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Mitsuyo Maeda

Mitsuyo Maeda, a Kodokan-recognized judo master, graced the shores of Havana in 1908 to compete in challenge matches as well as set up schools around the Island to help spread the word of judo.

Even though Maeda would eventually settle down in Brazil years later (where he would impart his knowledge to a young Carlos Gracie), the spirit of judo still stayed burning within Cuba, where it would take on a life of its own. While leglocks were widely recognized as an abolished technique within judo in 1925, Cuba was making some of its largest strides in that same year when Morita Shigetoshi migrated to the country and introduced Ryu jiu-jitsu.

In the 1950s, Cuba enjoyed another renaissance in the sport's development as innovators such as Takahiko Ishikawa and Belgian-born Andres Kolychkine (who many refer to as the father of Cuban judo) came over and helped propel the country's advancement.

Forging His Own Story

Embracing his country's rich history of influence and style, a young and promising Lombard embarked on a grappling journey of his own in the the early 1990s. Competing in Cuba's amateur and junior collegiate ranks, the opening stages of Lombard's storied career included three national titles and culminated with a spot on the 2000 Cuban Olympic team in Sydney.

With Lombard's Olympic endeavors taking him all the way to Australia, the Cuban judoka competed in a place that would eventually become his second home, though his first visit did not do as well as he had planned competitively. Although Lombard would win his first match in emphatic fashion via Kata-gatame (head and arm choke), the Cuban national would drop his next match by falling prey to a Sasae Tsuri-Komi Ashi (foot sweep) from Ukraine's Hennadiy Bilodid in the second round.

Not one to be discouraged by adversity but certainly one prove a point, Lombard jumped back on the horse by extending his competition experience to countries like Germany, Hungary, and Austria within a year after the 2000 Olympics. Finally making his previously mentioned point, Lombard capped an undefeated run at the 2002 World Team Championships by winning his final match in the same fashion by which he lost by in the Olympics, a Sasae Tsuri-Komi Ashi (shown in the video below).

Hector Lombard defeats Daniel Fernandes at the 2002 Judo World Team Championships:

In 2004, not only would Hector Lombard become an Australian resident, but he would also begin his venture into the world of mixed martial arts.

Though Lombard scored varied submission victories throughout the first two years of his MMA career, the Cuban developed a technique and taste for knocking his opposition out cold. It was a trend that would continue -- Lombard has earned only one submission win since the opening stages of his career. That said, he has kept active on the grappling scene in recent years, as he has seemingly revisited his roots in between fight camps to stay sharp.

A Predatory Nature

With a reputation that precedes himself, you can get glimpses of the ruthlessness in Lombard's game by watching him grapple. In my experience, watching grappling tape on Lombard felt like watching predator scenes on the nature channel as some recordings even contained audible concerns coming from the viewing audience.

Hector Lombard snaps leg at FX grappling tournament:

An opportunistic Great White Shark by nature, Lombard will lock onto a submission hold as soon as he smells blood or senses vulnerability in his opposition.

Renowned for his appetite to drop for an Ashi-Garami (leglock), many anticipate the entanglements to come when Lombard meets Tonon, nicknamed "The Lion Killer," at Submission Underground 3 on Sunday night. Although you could argue that Tonon is much more technical in transition, you cannot understate the violence of Lombard should he latch onto a limb first.

Despite Tonon having some creative leg-scissor entries he uses to set up his leglocks, Lombard still possesses one of the best reactionary sprawls in the game (even at this advanced stage of his career), which means Tonon will likely have to work hard with his chains to catch the former Olympian. Considering that both men are not afraid to fight fire with fire, expect pride to accompany joint placement in regard to what will be on the line inside of these exchanges.

Even though Lombard still has the skills to leglock the new age of leg-locker, he could expose his back to danger should he fail against "The Lion Killer," who also happens to have a mean Mata Leon (rear-naked choke). Regardless of the official outcome of this weekend's superfight, Lombard will look to continue down the modern day path of competitive grappling laid down by lineages long before our time.

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By Dan Tom