Artem Lobov channeled a little Marshawn Lynch at UFC Moncton’s media day on Thursday, declining to discuss the rivalry between SBG Ireland and Eagles MMA further — but he did let it be known that should short-notice opponent Michael Johnson miss weight for Saturday’s co-main event, he intends on refunding Johnson’s fine.
Moncton, NB — For all the chaos that surrounded Artem Lobov in the months leading up to UFC Moncton this weekend, little was said by the man himself. That changed earlier this week, when Lobov opened up about what happened between himself and current UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov back in April. He went in-depth on the situation with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, but it seems that’s it on the subject, as far as Lobov is concerned.
Opponent Michael Johnson? That’s another story. Lobov is clearly thrilled to have a high-profile foe for Saturday’s card, as much as he’s disappointed by losing a shot at Nurmagomeodov’s teammate Zubaira Tukhugov. And the Russian who trains in Ireland has no concerns about Johnson missing weight. “I hope everything, he makes the weight and I think he will, he’s a professional but I will say this,” Lobov told reporters including Cageside Press on Thursday, “if he ends up not making weight, I will still take the fight and I will let him keep his percentage because he took the fight on short notice.”
Asked whether that was something the athletic commission would allow, Lobov replied simply that “I’ll just take it and give it to him, that’s it.”
It’s something the featherweight has done once before, back in Cage Warriors. “One of the guys missed weight, and he had some health problems,” Lobov explained. That opponent, who he didn’t name, reached out to him ahead of time. It doesn’t seem that will be the case Friday, as Johnson later downplayed any weight cutting concerns.
As far as why he opted to fight Johnson, having been given several options, Lobov said “Michael was the hardest fight. That’s why I’m here.”
Saying he’s “ready for everything,” Lobov added that the change in opponent didn’t really impact his preparation. “Your preparation doesn’t start eight weeks before. The preparation is all the years leading up to that. If you’re not ready then, you’ll never be ready. Do you think you’re going to learn something new in eight weeks? Probably not.”
“The eight weeks of the camp, for me, is about getting my weight down, about getting in shape, and perfecting the skills that I already possess.”
Asked whether all the controversy in recent months took away from his focus this camp, Lobov stated that he doesn’t “really want to address that situation anymore.” That said, “I’m always focused. I’m always ready to go. Nothing’s changed there.”
“I’m just here so I don’t get fined,” Lobov later quipped when another reporter tried to follow up on what happened at UFC 229. That, of course, was a quote popularized by NFL star Marshawn Lynch.
Moving on then. With his back to the wall with two straight losses, this could be seen as a must-win fight. “All of them are must wins for me. That’s how I treat them,” Lobov explained. “When I go into battle, I feel like this is a real war. That’s one of the reasons I never pull out. To me, I feel like I’m in my castle, and there’s an army, an enemy army outside and they’re saying ‘right, we’re here to fight.’ How am I going to tell them ‘sorry guys, come back tomorrow?’ No. I’m coming out and I’m f*cking swinging and I’m fighting, and I’m ready to die in there like always.”
Outside of the MMA realm, Artem Lobov was recently offered a boxing match with a reported six figure payday and PPV points. Asked if that sort of opportunity would interest him in future, he said it would. “Absolutely yeah. I’ve still got four fights left on my contract, hopefully I fight that out and then we’ll see what happens. Definitely I would like to be in the boxing ring sometime. For sure. Why wouldn’t I? The guys can’t even knock me out with head kicks. So why wouldn’t I want to take a boxing fight? That’s how I see it.”
Artem Lobov meets Michael Johnson at UFC Moncton (UFC Fight Night 138) on Saturday, October 27 at the Avenir Centre. The card airs on Fox Sports 1 in the U.S. (TSN 5 in Canada).
