Artem Lobov, the Man Who Ignited Conor McGregor-Khabib Nurmagomedov Feud, What Is He Up to Now?

Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov were big rivals. No UFC fan can forget their rivalry, as it was one of the promotion’s biggest feuds. Artem Lobov played a key role in their conflict. Both the athletes clashed inside the octagon at UFC 229 in 2018. While the Irish fighter lost the bout in the fourth round via submission, it hardly did anything to cool their rivalry. This was because their conflict started on a personal level.

As per an article published by ‘LowKickMMA‘, the fighter was cornered by Nurmagomedov and others at UFC 223. This prompted McGregor to go and protect his friend and teammate. Thus, this resulted in the famous incident where McGregor threw a dolly on the bus that Nurmagomedov was in.

This incident started their bitter rivalry. Let us have a closer look at Lobov; the man at the heart of the McGregor-Nurmagomedov rivalry.

Why did Artem Lobov take a retirement?

The fighter was seen last seen fighting in the UFC in 2018. As he was on a three-fight losing skid, he was released from the UFC. While ‘The Russian Hammer’ initially tasted success, it didn’t last for too long. After losses at BKFC as well, he decided to re-evaluate his career.

The fighter revealed the reason behind his retirement and said (h/t MMA Fighting), “So now this time when I retired, I had to come to this point where I said to myself, ‘Well, that’s it. You will not achieve those goals.”

“It will not happen for you. You weren’t good enough. You didn’t manage to get where you wanted to get. This is it now for you as a fighter. Time to hang them up, Artem. Bye-bye.’ It was an emotional time for me.”

Why does Artem Lobov feel he has seen potential growth after leaving UFC?

While he left the UFC with three losses, it might not have had too many consequences for his combat career. As reported by ‘Irish Mirror‘, he has been thankful to the promotion for helping him build his name. However, he also felt that there were better opportunities.

READ MORE- 5 Times Conor McGregor Made Controversies With Trash Talk to His Opponents

He said, “I’m able to do it a lot better outside the UFC than when I was in the UFC.”

“When you don’t have to worry about the financial side, you can truly concentrate on the craft.”

Why is Artem Lobov Considered a GOAT?

Many fans have argued over which fighter deserves to be called the ‘Greatest of all Time’. Many have called ‘The Russian Hammer’ the G.O.A.T. Unfortunately, those have just been jokes.

Many believe this joke originated from Lobov’s 13-15-1 (1 NC) record as well as his friendship with ‘The Notorious’.

How is Lobov responsible for Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov’s feud?

While McGregor throwing a dolly at the bus made matters worse, it looks like Nurmagomedov had originally insulted McGregor by calling him a ‘chicken’ in 2016.

Read More: WATCH: “Irish 6 Million Russia 150 Million”- Khabib Nurmagomedov Delivers Memorable Rant After UFC 205 Win

As per ‘MMA Junkie‘, Lobov took offense to it. This resulted in the Russian fighter cornering Lobov, resulting in McGregor flying down to New York and throwing the dolly on the bus.

Thus, a lot went down between McGregor and ‘The Eagle’.

What do you think about McGregor and Nurmagomedov’s infamous rivalry?

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