The GOAT: “Feed Me Michael Venom Page”

Artem Lobov is an unlikely cult hero. The Russian SBG Ireland fighter first came into the public eye as Conor McGregor’s training partner. Then he went onto The Ultimate Fighter and essentially got a wildcard after losing because he’s McGregor’s training partner.

His UFC career went 2-5 with an overall record of 13-15. This made him a bit of a joke figure, but fans gradually got respect for his willingness to fight anytime and anywhere. Finally, he moved to bare-knuckle boxing and truly became a cult figure. He got wins over Jason Knight – losing the rematch – and famously over Paulie Malignaggi.

But now he wants to step back into the world of MMA. Lobov is testing the free agency waters. KSW, Bellator, and BRAVE are all interested. Meanwhile, his dream opponent is Michael ‘Venom’ Page. Do you think he could win?

Offer

According to Lobov, a number of promotions have made offers. However, as a prizefighter, money talks. That’s why he’s leaning towards Polish promotion KSW at the moment. But he’s not closing the door on Bellator. ‘The Russian Hammer’ even offered to step in for them previously. His head coach John Kavanagh has a very close relationship with Bellator.

“To be honest, Bellator made me an offer just after I left the UFC,” Lobov told MMA Fighting. “It was a very good offer and I was very grateful for the offer. I was ready to sign for them, but at the time Bare Knuckle FC were throwing money at me and I just couldn’t turn that down. I tried to ask Bellator to up the cash just a little bit, just so it would make a little more sense for me to sign with them, but they didn’t. It was a no-brainer for me. I just couldn’t turn down the money Bare Knuckle FC were throwing at me, so I ended up signing with them.

“I’m still not ruling Bellator out of the equation completely. They come to Ireland twice a year and it’s always a big show. It’s big promotion, I could certainly see myself in the Bellator cage as well, but KSW seem to be very close to signing me at the moment.”

Winnable

Despite Lobov having the same reach as Frodo Baggins, he thinks he could cause Page problems. MVP is a welterweight with a long lanky frame and diverse striking. Lobov has a very solid chin but would he really be able to close that distance? It would definitely be entertaining.

“When this happened I messaged John Kavanagh because he has a very close relationship with Bellator,” Lobov said when Page’s opponent Derek Anderson pulled out of Bellator London. “I messaged him straight away and said, ‘Tell them it’s one million and I’ll step in for one million.’ The fight was probably worth more than that, but I like Bellator so I thought I’d give them a little discount.”

“I’d love to fight MVP, I know we’re in different weight classes, but I feel it’s a very winnable fight for me. I know his style and I have keys to beating him.”

Tools

In fact, Lobov is surprised that Paul Daley didn’t beat Page. MVP is very flashy. However, Lobov thinks Daley’s style would have been effective against Page. Instead, he kept taking him down. This made for a very boring fight that Daley lost. Lobov said:

“To be honest, when he fought Paul Daley I thought Paul has the style to beat him, but for some f*cking reason, Paul decided he was a wrestler that night. I honestly don’t know what he was thinking or who gave him that idea, that was the biggest mistake. For me, he’s got the perfect style. That tight, K-1 style where you back the guy up and he has nowhere to go. He’s got a lot of power in his hands. I feel if he had’ve stood with him he would’ve won.”