Artem Lobov was recently granted his release from Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) after filing a request to the promotion late last year. Something, I’m sure, that will make Colby Covington and Fabricio Werdum jealous.
Since then, “The Russian Hammer” has been trying to pick fights in all aspects of hand-to-hand combat, including mixed marital arts (MMA), kickboxing and boxing. While he has yet to lock up a fight or a contract, Lobov says the offers are rolling in non-stop. Including one from Bellator MMA.
“Yes they were one of the first (with an offer). Right now I am sort of collecting all of the offers, well my management. They are considering all the offers. No offer is too big or too small. So whoever else is out there, send them all my way and we will see what happens,” revealed Artem on a recent interview on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show.
According to Artem, the offers he has received are well over six figures, but he and his management team are playing the patience game and reviewing all offers available before putting pen to paper. That said, if a promotion is willing to fork over a seven-figure payday, they will win the sweepstakes, no discussions necessary.
“If someone wants to offer me a seven-digit number right now, I am happy to sign straight away and let’s call it a day. Forget all the discussions we can have. ‘The Russian Hammer’ will make all of your fans scream for whatever organization decides to do that.”
Admittedly, Lobov says the offers he has received are not as close to seven figures as he would like, but is confident he will get there within a year. Despite his less-than stellar run with UFC — going 2-5 and dropping his last three in a row — Artem says he is one of the most successful fighters in the world.
“What do you call success in our sport? What determines success? Are you successful if you are 10-0 and no one is watching your fights? Is that success? trust me, your bank account will say otherwise,” he explained.
“Now that I’ve been in this sport for so long, I know this now more than ever what success is, it’s how many people re watching your fights. If no one is watching, it doesn’t matter what else you are achieving, you are not successful. If people are watching your fights and they care about what you do then that is success to me. As far as I’m concerned, I am one of the most successful fighters in the world.”