SBG Ireland Fighter Artem Lobov Has Signalled He’s Ready to Leave the UFC to Follow Zubaira Tukhugov…
Artem Lobov is the most legendary fighters to come out of Dublin via Russia. With an incredibly asymmetrical record of 13 wins and 14 losses, the man they call ‘The Russian Hammer’ has been around the block, and is one of Conor McGregor’s most trusted allies.
If it wasn’t for Khabib Nurmagamedov and his crew bullying Lobov the way they did back in April, then maybe we’d never have had the drama and chaos of UFC 229. Yet another accolade the GOAT can add to his list of achievements.
Lobov is currently riding a two-fight losing streak in the UFC – but has the chance to balance things out when he takes on former contender Michael Johnson at UFC 230. Both of his previous two match-ups were cancelled thanks to Khabib/McGregor related carnage and it’s finally time to make some more money. Lobov says he will leave the UFC if they cut Zubaira Tukhugov.
Grudge
This grudge between SBG Ireland and the state of Dagestan does not seem to be dying. Tukhugov has been suspended by the UFC pending an investigation into what exactly went down after the main event at UFC 229. Lobov doesn’t care though. He told ESPN:
“If they cut him, I want to be gone as well. I will fight him in ACB, Bellator or any league he wants to do it. But I will get him.”
Those are mean words from the fearsome GOAT. Tukhugov has no idea what he’s woken up.
Honour
For Lobov, this has transcended sport. It’s now a question of honour between a GOAT and a man. He’s only taking the fight against Johnson because of his need for a payday, but he spoke passionately about his desire to take on Tukhugov. He said:
“It has to be done inside the Octagon. I want to look this man in the eyes, one-on-one. Once you’re inside that Octagon, it’s one on one. Your skill versus his skill. Your heart versus his heart. I want to test his heart in the Octagon. I want to see what he’s got.”
Pressure
Many people have outrageously accused the UFC of keeping Lobov around because of his close relationship to Conor McGregor. Obviously, that’s nonsense. Lobov has managed to create a totally unique record and in fairness, he’s actually good entertainment value – even if that comes from watching him get beaten up.
“We need this win, but I don’t feel the pressure. To me, this is one step closer to getting Zubaira back. There is nothing else on my mind. That’s the only thing I can even think of. I’m not going to rest, I’m not going to sleep, until I get him back.”
Khabib Nurmagamedov has also threatened to quit if Tukhugov isn’t reinstated by the UFC. It remains to be seen what will happen there because the organization will not want to lose their champion. This rivalry shows no signs of slowing down. Maybe the UFC should just throw caution to the wind and live stream a beatdown from a cage in the Nevada desert on Fight Pass. I’d pay for that.
