Artem Lobov likely to retire from combat sports following bare-knuckle loss to Denys Berinchyk 

Artem Lobov could possibly hang up his fighting gloves for good following a fourth-round TKO loss to Denys Berinchyk last weekend.

The former UFC star lost to the Ukrainian Olympic silver medalist in the headliner of a Mahatch FC event in Kiev, Ukraine on Saturday. It was Berinchyk's bare-knuckle debut, while Lobov went into the fight with a 2-1 BKFC record.

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 the post-fight interview, Artem Lobov stated that he had "no fire in the heart" anymore and hinted at the possibility of retiring from combat sports. His comments were reported by VMTV.co.uk.

"I knew that Denys 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.

Bruno Massami also reported the likely retirement of 'The Russian Hammer' on Twitter.

"Today, the Russian partner of Conor McGregor, Artem Lobov announce his retirement from Combat Sports after Lost a fight to Denis Berinchik at Mahatch FC today. With 13-15 in MMA and 2-1 in Bare Knuckle he lose by TKO in fifth round," Massami wrote.

Today, the Russian partner of Conor McGregor, Artem Lobov announce his retirement from Combat Sports after Lost a fight to Denis Berinchik at Mahatch FC today. With 13-15 in MMA and 2-1 in Bare Knuckle he lose by TKO in fifth round. pic.twitter.com/b5HCFXjYzj

— Bruno Massami (Бруно Массами) (@BrMassami) July 24, 2021

If Artem Lobov indeed retires, he will be walking away with a negative 13-15 record in mixed martial arts and a 2-2 bare-knuckle record.

The UFC and post-UFC career of Artem Lobov

After leaving the UFC in January 2019 following a three-fight losing skid that featured defeats against Cub Swanson, Andre Fili and Michael Johnson, Artem Lobov moved to the BKFC. His contract also included a clause that allowed him to compete in MMA.

He made his bare-knuckle debut against Jason Knight at BKFC 4 in April 2019 and won via unanimous decision.

His second bare-knuckle fight in June 2019 at BKFC 6 took the form of a 'grudge match'. His opponent Paulie Malignaggi had a history of beef with Lobov's friend and training partner, UFC megastar Conor McGregor. 'The Russian Hammer' secured a unanimous decision victory against the former professional boxer.

His third and final BKFC outing was a rematch against Jason Knight, which saw him get knocked out in the fifth round. The bout took place at BKFC 9 in November 2019.

Artem Lobov was supposed to sign with Arena Fight Championship for a solo bout against Ylies Djiroun in December 2020. However, the fight got canceled due to COVID-19.