3 Ways Artem Lobov Proved He Is A Professional And A Great Human Being

UFC Fight Night 138 is here, and along with it is Artem Lobov. A fighter who has seen himself become a figure of fun for the internet mixed martial arts community, Lobov has remains oddly silent about the issues.

Far from being the perfect fighter, his record, 13-14-1 speaks for itself, as he is nowhere near to what most fans expect from fighters who compete in the UFC. His last two fights which took place in 2017, ended with him losing via unanimous decision on both occasions.

He was also the spark that lit the fire which ended with Conor McGregor throwing a metal dolly at the UFC bus in which Khabib Nurmagomedov was. Two other fighters ended up injured in the altercation.

Why would Conor McGregor do all of this for an insult to a friend of his? Did he care about Lobov at all, or was he simply using the issue to escalate things with Khabib Nurmagomedov?

We will answer this in a little while.

Amidst this, why does a certain percentage of the mixed martial arts fanbase still respect the fighter from Russia? The answer is another one that takes a bit of an explanation.

Without any further ado, let's get into 3 ways that fans can understand why Artem Lobov is actually a standup guy and a great professional.

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#1 Asked For Zubaira Tukhugov To Be Returned To UFC:

Artem Lobov has always behaved with utmost respect

After the incidents of UFC 229, where Zubaira Tukhugov attacked Conor McGregor, the fighter ended up being pulled from the UFC Fight Night 138 card by Dana White as a form of punishment.

Tukhugov had been set to face Lobov at the event, a fight that Lobov was seemingly looking forward to. He wanted to make things right, by defeating Tukhugov after what the fighter had done to Conor McGregor.

Him being pulled from the fight did not sit well with Lobov, who said that if he does not return to the UFC, then Lobov is prepared to leave the promotion to face him in the future. If there is one true friend to McGregor, it might just be Lobov.

#2 Conor McGregor and Artem Lobov

Artem Lobov and Conor McGregor are really good friends

As if that was not enough to prove why Lobov is an amazing guy, he has another great advocate as well. Conor McGregor is a formidable advocate for anyone to have. That's exactly what he has proved to be as well.

Outraged on behalf of his friend for being attacked by Khabib, Conor went the extra distance and threw a dolly at the bus that he was in.

Why would he do this for anyone? Because Conor and Artem are two friends whose friendship stemmed from sparring together at the SBG. Since then it has only developed.

While this is not confirmed, many talk about the fact that Artem Lobov's extensive accounting education was used by him to help Conor. Many fighter and athletes who are successful and rich often end up spending all their wealth.

With the help of a friend like Artem, this is possibly a worry that Conor can dispel forever.

#3 His Gesture To Michael Johnson

Artem Lobov showed his classier side after the weigh-ins

Artem Lobov was left without an opponent after Zubaira Tukhugov was pulled from his fight against Artem following the incidents of the UFC 229 brawl.

It was at this time that Michael Johnson agreed to step in and fill in for Tukhugov in the co-headliner of the fight.

The gesture was a noble one, accepting a fight with only weeks to prepare for the event. He had to make sure that his weight matched the stipulation for the Featherweight bout. Unfortunately for him, he was unable to match the weight requirements for the weight on the day of the weigh-ins, coming in one pound heavier.

Not only did Artem decide to still fight him, but he also made sure that Johnson would not lose any money for failing to make weight. He volunteered to return the 20% of Johnson's purse that the fighter was bound to pay Lobov for not making weight, to make sure that the fighter did not lose money on this fight.

If that's not respect, I don't know what is.