5 most memorable moments of Artem Lobov's career

Over the years, there have been many skilled fighters in the UFC, but very few of them have possessed the quality to entertain the masses with their personality like Artem Lobov. 'The Russian Hammer' has always had the attention of MMA fans for his fights as well as his shenanigans outside the octagon.

Lobov had seven fights in the UFC but won only two of them. Despite having an abysmal professional MMA record of 13-15-1, The Russian has been a part of some of the biggest moments in combat sports. His friendship with the Irish superstar Conor McGregor has played a significant part in that.

Artem Lobov has decided to retire from fighting.More: https://t.co/O17TBPhRqI

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) July 30, 2021

After his recent loss to Olympic silver medalist Denys Berinchyk in a bare-knuckle boxing match at a Mahatch FC event, Artem Lobov has announced his retirement from fighting.

That's it. Denys Berinchyk stops Artem Lobov between rounds at the conclusion of R4 #MahatchFC pic.twitter.com/ikehcWtAmw

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) July 24, 2021

In his post-fight interview, the 34-year old said:

"I knew that Denys [Berinchyk] is a high-class fighter, So I wanted to fight him. Why go out [against who] knows who? If I go out, then I try against the strongest and aim for the stars. If it doesn’t work out, you’ll be close to the moon. Congratulations, Denys, it was a great honour for me to perform here. Most likely, I will [retire]. There is no fire in the heart that there used to be," Artem Lobov said.

'The Russian Hammer' ended his bare-knuckle boxing career with a record of 2-2.

In honor of the 34-year-old's retirement from combat sports, let's take a look at the five most memorable moments of Artem Lobov's career.

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#5. Artem Lobov's bare-knuckle boxing debut

After suffering three losses in a row in the UFC, Artem Lobov was released from the promotion. 'The Russian Hammer' then joined hands with BKFC for a three-fight contract and made his bare-knuckle boxing debut at BKFC 5 in April 2019.

The Russian-born fighter took on fellow former UFC fighter Jason Knight in a fight that lasted the entire five 2-minute rounds. The highly exciting back-and-forth affair proved that what Lobov lacks in skill, he makes up for with grit. The 34-year-old ended up winning the contest via unanimous decision.

#4. Artem Lobov's UFC main event

After winning two out of his first four fights in the UFC, Artem Lobov got a chance to headline his first and only UFC event. 'The Russian Hammer' took on Cub Swanson in the main event of UFC Fight Night 108 in April 2017.

Both fighters blew the roof off the place and delivered a thrilling five-round war to MMA fans around the world. Swanson won the fight via unanimous decision, with the three judges scoring the bout 49-46, 49-46 and 50-45 for 'Killer'.

Artem Lobov earned his only Fight of the Night bonus for this memorable fight. After, the 34-year-old lost his next two fights against Andre Fili and Michael Johnson, and was subsequently cut from the UFC.

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#3. Artem Lobov's altercation with Khabib Nurmagomedov

Artem Lobov's altercation with Khabib Nurmagomedov marked the beginning of one of the darkest chapters in UFC history. 'The Eagle', who was preparing for his championship bout at UFC 223, came across Lobov in the hotel lobby and decided to confront him. In just a few seconds, 'The Russian Hammer' found himself surrounded by Nurmagomedov and his teammates. The Dagestani fighter grabbed Lobov by the neck and slapped him at one point during the confrontation.

Upon hearing about the incident, Lobov's teammate Conor McGregor and his teammates attacked the bus Khabib was traveling in. The Irishman was later arrested for his actions.

Watch Conor McGregor leave a New York police station in handcuffs: https://t.co/DKdHI0DoCJ pic.twitter.com/FmjZiMbEBf

— Indy Sport (@IndySport) April 6, 2018

Khabib and McGregor decided to settle their rivalry at UFC 229. 'The Eagle' dominated the fight and won via submission in the fourth round. But the animosity between the two parties didn't end there. The lightweight champion jumped out of the octagon to attack 'The Notorious' teammate Dillon Danis, leading to an all-out brawl. Since then, both fighters have been taking digs at each other on social media.

Artem Lobov, on the other hand, seems to have put his altercation with Nurmagomedov in the past as he recently showered praise on the Dagestani fighter in a podcast with Niall McGrath of Talking Brawls.

"I mean, as the greatest of all time, that's a very, very high company to be with. To me, that's Fedor [Emelianenko], you know, to me it's Fedor and there's nobody that comes close. But Khabib is certainly in that conversation. You have to give him props for what he has achieved, you know, especially in the UFC. I certainly would love to see him fight more, you know. I certainly would love to see him fight Conor [McGregor] again."

#2. Artem Lobov's hilarious promo at the weigh-ins

At the number two spot on this list is Artem Lobov's now memorable promo at the weigh-ins before his fight with Andre Fili at UFC Fight Night 118.

After making weight, the 34-year-old started ranting about never missing weight, leaving the MMA community in splits.

"Injuries, sicknesses, big weight cuts, Hurricane Ophelia, you can't stop the Siberian Express. Choo Choo motherf****rs!" Artem Lobov said.

You can watch the hilarious video below:

Despite the enthusiasm, Lobov ended up losing the fight via unanimous decision as all three judges scored it 30-27 in Fili's favor.

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#1. Artem Lobov's win over Paulie Malignaggi

Arguably the greatest achievement of Artem Lobov's career came when he defeated former boxing champion Paulie Malignaggi in a bare-knuckle boxing fight. 'Magic Man' shared history with Conor McGregor, a friend and teammate of Lobov.

The story started with the Irishman calling up Malignaggi for a sparring session ahead of the Irishman's boxing bout with Floyd Mayweather.

pic.twitter.com/7B9fqaNiAc

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) April 3, 2019

Later, footage of the sparring session surfaced online showing McGregor man-handling the former boxing champion.

This infuriated Malignaggi, who then confronted 'The Notorious' at a press conference.

'Magic Man' had been calling out McGregor for a fight but later agreed to take on his teammate Lobov in a bare-knuckle boxing contest.

The two fighters fought at Bare Knuckle FC 6 in June 2019. 'The Russian Hammer' pulled off a huge upset by defeating Malignaggi via unanimous decision. All three judges scored the fight 48-47 in the 34-year-old's favor.

Artem Lobov def. Paulie Malignaggi via UD (48-47 x 3).

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 23, 2019

After the fight, the 34-year-old did an interview with TheMacLife and expressed interest in fighting Malignaggi in a rematch.

“I’ve heard that he [Paulie Malignaggi] hasn’t stopped complaining, but if he wants another go, I would be more than willing. Let’s do it again. I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on him. It’s something that I don’t think I would ever get sick of, so, why not? Or if he doesn’t want to do it in the bare-knuckle format, we can do it straight up boxing.”

Now that Lobov has announced his retirement, the chances of a rematch appear bleak.