Conor McGregor’s Friend Artem Lobov Challenges Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Teammate

Conor McGregor’s teammate Artem Lobov says he wants Khabib Nurmagomedov’s cornerman Zubaira Tukhugov at the UFC Fight Night in Dublin in August. The two fighters were set to clash at UFC Fight Night 138 before Tukhugov was suspended over his role in the post-fight melee at UFC 229. Tukhugov, along with Esed Emiragaev, attacked McGregor after his loss to Nurmagomedov in the main event.

Lobov told Oscar Willis on The Mac Life that he is open to signing a one-fight contract with UFC to fight Tukhugov. “The fight will help the duo settle their differences,” says Lobov. He adds that he will not make any money from the fight and instead donate it to a charity.

This will result in the event getting a good fight and a charity benefitting because of it. If not at UFC, Lobov said he is interested in the Zubaira fight, “wherever it can happen.“

How has Coronavirus affected Artem Lobov?

Artem Lobov speaks about the Coronavirus pandemic. He, like the rest of the world, says he is social distancing and is clueless about how all of this came to be. The fighter added that he does work out, but it’s hard to prepare without sparring partners or usual training. Also, the fighters do not know what they are training for, as they are no events left to prepare for.

The UFC has canceled 3 fight nights. There are serious doubts over the status of UFC 249: Nurmagomedov vs Ferguson. However, Dana White remains bullish about the event going ahead as per schedule. 

Lobov, who is looking to get into boxing and bare-knuckle tournaments, hasn’t been so lucky. He says that he was in talks with some bare-knuckle organizations before the outbreak of the pandemic. When Willis probed about why he doesn’t sign a contract with the UFC, Lobov said he does not want one place to tie him down. 

He looks forward to doing whatever he can in combat sports as that is how he provides for his family. However, he says he has only 2 years left and wants to be able to do it all. “Each organization brings its challenges. No matter what you prepare for, you improve for the other sport as well.”