Former UFC fighter Artem Lobov prolonged a public olive branch to his longtime teammate Conor McGregor.
At the peak of Conor McGregor‘s UFC superstardom, you’d be hard pressed to not see Artem Lobov at McGregor’s side within the gym, at press conferences, and in his corner. The 2 longtime SBG Ireland teammates were nearly inseparable during their combat sports careers.
But things between McGregor and Lobov took a dark turn in recent times, stemming from a serious lawsuit filed by Lobov against certainly one of McGregor’s businesses. The 2 fighters’ feud moved into the general public eye when McGregor threatened Lobov in several viral social media posts in 2024.
As Lobov and McGregor each prepare for MMA comeback fights, things remain testy between the 2 sides.
Artem Lobov ‘doesn’t recognize’ Conor McGregor as he pleads former teammate to recommit to fighting
Lobov is ready to return against Khabib Nurmagomedov’s longtime protege, Zubaira Tukhugov, at PFL Dubai later this yr. It’ll mark Lobov’s first MMA fight since a loss to UFC star Michael Johnson in October 2018.
Lobov’s longtime loyalty to McGregor appears to be a thing of the past, but Lobov still has hopes that the 2 longtime teammates can rekindle their friendship.
During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Lobov was asked about where things currently stand between himself and McGregor.
“Obviously, things will not be good between me and Conor,” Lobov explained.
“We all the time had one another’s back. I feel like I showed him unmatched loyalty, I’d dare for him to call anyone from all of his mates now, before every time, who was more loyal to him than I used to be.
“I did every little thing for him,” Lobov continued. “Every time we might do camps, I used to be the just one to never accept a cent from him. There would all the time be money paid to everybody within the camps, and rightfully so, since it was labor. But I’d all the time turn it down and say ‘Conor, I’m not taking this, and I’m not taking money from you’.”
Lobov then made an eye-opening claim about McGregor’s planned UFC comeback at The White House next yr. He says if McGregor is successful in his latest comeback attempt, it will lure Nurmagomedov back to the Octagon for a rematch.
“Now, Conor couldn’t even make it to a press conference with a sore toe. That’s not the identical Conor, this isn’t the guy that I do know,” Lobov said.
“I need to see the old [Conor] back after which I feel every little thing can be sweet between us as well, we could get the band back together.
“If he was at 100%, we might find a way to bring Khabib back as well. I feel Khabib would come back for that fight if Conor was 100%, on his feet, and making real fights. He just needs one fight, knock a man out, after which the entire world can be talking to Khabib to get him to return back.”
Conor McGregor picked to beat Michael Chandler in rearranged UFC fight
If McGregor follows up on his comeback plans, he could potentially revisit the opponent he was presupposed to face at UFC 303 last yr, before withdrawing on account of injury. One UFC Hall of Famer believes McGregor would snap his losing skid in the method.
Michael Bisping feels McGregor would defeat Michael Chandler in the event that they rescheduled their planned UFC 303 bout for the targeted White House card next yr. Chandler, since ending his multiple-year wait for McGregor, is 0-2 within the Octagon with losses to Paddy Pimblett and Charles Oliveira.
McGregor’s last UFC win got here against Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 by first-round knockout. He lost back-to-back fights to Dustin Poirier in 2021, including when he injured his leg at the tip of the primary round at UFC 264.