‘I Wasn’t Good Enough’

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Artem Lobov announced his decision to retire from combat sports in July 2021 after suffering a loss in a bareknuckle fight against Olympic silver medalist and WBO …


UFC Fight Night: Swanson v Lobov
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Artem Lobov announced his decision to retire from combat sports in July 2021 after suffering a loss in a bareknuckle fight against Olympic silver medalist and WBO lightweight champ Denys Berinchyk.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight contender says coming to terms that hanging up his gloves (when he used them) was not an easy one to say the least because it’s something he’s been doing professionally for over a decade.

And while he didn’t exactly have a stellar record to brag about, Lobov takes pride in the fact that even in defeat he entertained and left it all in the cage or ring.

“The thing for me is this was a very big decision for me. I feel like I’m not going to be one of those guys that come back in and out of it. It was a decision that I thought about for a long time,” he said on The MMA Hour (via MMA Fighting).

“It was a difficult decision for me to make. I actually love fighting. I love this sport. I love this life. When I made that decision and it was like f*ck, this is it. It felt like all my dreams had [been] crushed. I know I have a lot of losses, but even when I lost sometimes, I was like this is just a minor setback. This is just a setback. I will get better. I will train harder. I will go again. I will try again, and I will come back and I will achieve the goals that I set out to achieve.”

When it came time to walk away, it was a hard realization for “The Russian Hammer” because to him it mean that he just wasn’t good enough to reach the goals he set out for himself in combat sports.

“So now this time when I retired, I had to come to this point where I said to myself, ‘Well, that’s it. You will not achieve those goals. It will not happen for you. You weren’t good enough. You didn’t manage to get where you wanted to get. This is it now for you as a fighter. Time to hang them up, Artem. Bye-bye.’ It was an emotional time for me.”

After making his UFC debut in 2015, Lobov competed just seven times for the promotion, amassing a paltry 2-5 record which ultimately lead to his release after both parties agreed to mutually part ways. He eventually went on to score a huge win against former world boxing champion Paulie Malignaggi in a bareknuckle fight under the BKFC banner.

At 35 years of age, there is still time for Lobov to mount a comeback down the road, though it’s not lost on him that the older he gets the tougher it will be to fight at the highest level. Plus, the lingering possibilities of head trauma and CTE is something that stays in the back of his head.

Still, “The Russian Hammer” says he will return with no question if he can somehow lock down a fight against his bitter rival Zubaira Tukhugov, who is currently under contract with UFC. Of course, Lobo and Tukhugov have disdain toward one another stemming from the Khabib Nurmagoemdov and Conor McGregor rivalry, so it’s something Artem would love to handle before it’s all said and done.

Another way he would return to action is if any promotion, boxing or MMA, would offer him a seven-figure payday to do so.

“There’s only two ways that I go back and fight again,” Lobov revealed. “The [Zubaira] Tukhugov fight, that goes without retirement. I don’t care if I’m retired or not. I always want that fight no matter what. And if somebody wants to make my dream come true and offer me seven figures, then it’s going to change things up a lot,” he added.

“A lot of the issues I just mentioned for my retirement, they will not be playing as big of a part anymore. Seven figures could help you to set up your financial future for the family, and that’s a big thing for me of course and [would] open up a lot of doors as well. So I would consider coming back for those two reasons. Tukhugov fight or seven-figure payday.”

In all reality, there are only a handful of fighters who can command a seven-figure payday, especially in MMA. And while one should never say never, getting that kind of scratch without ever having held a major world title will be hard to come by.

Rose Namajunas Says She Needed To Lose To Carla Esparza In 2014

Strawweight champion Rose Namajunas recently reflected on her loss to former champion Carla Esparza in an interview with UFC’s “Run It Back” series on Youtube.

In 2014, Namajunas and Esparaza made it to the final round of the TUF 20 finale, where t…

Carla Esparza Rose Namajunas

Strawweight champion Rose Namajunas recently reflected on her loss to former champion Carla Esparza in an interview with UFC’s “Run It Back” series on Youtube.

In 2014, Namajunas and Esparaza made it to the final round of the TUF 20 finale, where they held the inaugural strawweight championship. There, Esparza became the first strawweight champion in the company’s history, submitting Namajunas in the third round via rear-naked choke.

This was just the 22-year-old’s second loss in her fourth professional fight, but with it being on the biggest stage, she has learned a lot from the loss and reflected on it again recently.

“Man, I just had to stop being an a**hole. No I mean, not that, but just like be, have self-awareness you know what I mean like, I was just kinda floating through life and just no direction with anything. I needed a piece of the humble pie, ya know,” said Namajunas.

Since her title loss to Esparza in 2014, Namajunas went on to win six of her next seven fights, while capturing the strawweight title in 2017 as she TKO’d Joanna J?drzejczyk in dramatic fashion at UFC 217. Her first title defense would be another rematch victory over J?drzejczyk via unanimous decision at UFC 223.

Namajunas would taste defeat for the first time nearly three years later from her last loss as she was slammed unconscious by former champion, Jéssica Andrade. Again, Rose was victorious in their rematch over a year later at UFC 251.

The Zhang Weili Chapter

Rose Namajunas Zhang Weili
Photo via Instagram @espnmma

Zhang Weili secured the strawweight title as she made quick work of Andrade for what would have been Andrade’s first and only title defense as she TKO’d Andrade in under a minute in her home country of China. Weili’s first title defense would be a fight against Namajunas.

Namajunas showed improvements in her game again and rose to the occasion, as she TKO’d Weili in the first round at UFC 261, securing the title for her second time. Namajunas would then defeat Zhang again at UFC 268 and is a perfect 3-0 in rematches.

The next rematch for Namajunas is the one with Esparza, which is what Namajunas and the UFC are eyeing as they are working on making that fight official. Esparza is currently on a five-fight win streak and boasts an impressive 18-6 record. And she, too, would of course love to secure UFC gold again.

Who do you think will win the rematch between Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza?

Continue Reading Rose Namajunas Says She Needed To Lose To Carla Esparza In 2014 at MMA News.

Tai Tuivasa Interested In Facing Derrick Lewis: ‘We’re The Fun Of This Division’

Flashy heavyweight Tai Tuivasa is interested in a fight against Derrick Lewis, seeing the hypothetical bout as a clash of fan favorites.

Tuivasa is riding the momentum of a recent knockout victory over Augusto Sakai at UFC 269. The victory moved hi…

Tai Tuivasa, Derrick Lewis

Flashy heavyweight Tai Tuivasa is interested in a fight against Derrick Lewis, seeing the hypothetical bout as a clash of fan favorites.

Tuivasa is riding the momentum of a recent knockout victory over Augusto Sakai at UFC 269. The victory moved his winning streak to a strong four consecutive finish wins and allowed him to show his unique charisma in front of a live crowd.

But what’s next for Tuivasa is unknown at the moment. In an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Tuivasa mentioned how he wants to return soon, citing March or April as a good time to come back.

Tuivasa expressed interest when asked about a fight against Lewis. Not only did he see the bout as a clash between two fighters that have a reputation for their comedy, but he also mentioned the value that a win over him would have.

“I’d love to step in the cage with him one day. I think he’s a bit up from me at the moment, especially coming off his last win,” said Tuivasa. “But definitely, I would love to fight Derrick Lewis. We both have good personalities. We are the fun of this division … He’s a great opponent, he’s a great guy … That’s the way I’d like to prove myself.”

Lewis Likely Not Next, But Maybe Someday

Derrick Lewis
© Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

A fight between Tuivasa and Lewis could happen someday, but chances are it won’t happen next. While Tuivasa said in his interview that he’s “going to come for everyone this year,” including the top six ranked UFC heavyweights, he also implied that he currently has a fight in the works.

What’s more, Lewis doesn’t have his sights set on that bout currently. Lewis recently stated that he is focused on facing former UFC Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic. The fight would be Miocic’s return after losing his belt to Francis Ngannou last year.

Are you personally interested in a fight between Tai Tuivasa and Derrick Lewis?

Continue Reading Tai Tuivasa Interested In Facing Derrick Lewis: ‘We’re The Fun Of This Division’ at MMA News.

Free Fight! Gane Stops Lewis In ‘H-Town,” Wins UFC Title

Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC

Ciryl Gane will attempt to unify the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight titles when he takes on current division king, Francis Ngannou, in the main event of UFC 270 on Jan. 2…


UFC 265: Lewis v Gane
Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC

Ciryl Gane will attempt to unify the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight titles when he takes on current division king, Francis Ngannou, in the main event of UFC 270 on Jan. 22, 2022 in Anaheim, California.

The French big man won the interim title by shutting out Derrick Lewis in front of “Black Beast’s” hometown of Houston, Texas at UFC 265 in Aug. 2020, his tenth straight win to remain undefeated (10-0, 7-0 UFC).

Throughout the first two rounds, Gane stood right in front of Lewis and used his footwork to get in and out while scoring major points. It wasn’t until the third round that Gane picked up the pace and pushed the action on a winded Lewis, stopping him via strikes to earn his first taste of UFC gold.

For Gane, defeating Ngannou and unifying the titles will be one of the quickest paths to the top of the UFC mountain since he made his promotional debut in Aug. 2019. Furthermore, a victory inside the Honda Center will also likely earn him his first title defense against none other than the former light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones.


For more on UFC 270: “Ngannou vs Gane” click here

Sonnen: Paul ‘calling his own shots’ in boxing the way McGregor did in MMA

Chael Sonnen speaks to fans and reporters at a UFC press conference at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 23, 2014. | Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Chael Sonnen sees glarin…


UFC 175 & The Ultimate Fighter Finale - On-Sale Press Conference
Chael Sonnen speaks to fans and reporters at a UFC press conference at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 23, 2014. | Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Chael Sonnen sees glaring similarities between Jake Paul and Conor McGregor.

Chael Sonnen sees striking similarities between Jake Paul and Conor McGregor, with the renowned podcast likening Paul’s boxing career to McGregor’s early UFC career.

Despite only making his professional boxing debut in 2020 Paul is already ‘calling the shots’, per Sonnen, and become one of the hottest commodities in the sport.

“Jake Paul had a crazy idea that he’s going to go into a sport of which he does not belong with no amateur pedigree, no golden gloves, no lineage within the family, like you know, my uncle fought, my grandpa used to box in the Army, nothing like that,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel (h/t Curtis Calhoun of MMA News). “He’s going to do well, and he’s going to headline shows with Olympians and world champions on the card. They are going to open. He is going to be the marquee fight. That is ridiculous. He did just that. Jake Paul is calling his own shots the way Conor McGregor used to do when Conor was getting his come up and then he’s seeing them through.”

“Remember ‘Mystic Mac’ and he had a crystal ball? Conor was not only calling the stoppages, he was calling the rounds,” Sonnen continued. “And then once he calls the stoppages and he calls the rounds, he starts calling the technique that he’s going to stop them with. Remember when he was doing that? Jake Paul is doing the same thing.”

Paul is 5-0 in boxing with notable KO victories over former ONE and Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren and former UFC welterweight champ and future UFC Hall of Famer Tyron Woodley.

McGregor, on the other hand, is still calling the shots in the UFC despite being 1-3 in his last four fights and sidelined with a broken leg. ‘The Notorious’ has demanded a lightweight title shot against current champ Charles Oliveira upon his return to the UFC.

Ciryl Gane: Ngannou Is Most Powerful & Athletic Person I’ve Ever Seen

Ciryl Gane has high praise for future opponent Francis Ngannou.

At UFC 270, former sparring partners Gane and Ngannou will face in a heavyweight championship unification bout. In an interview with La Suer Clips (French MMA News Outlet) posted on Y…

Francis Ngannou, Ciryl Gane

Ciryl Gane has high praise for future opponent Francis Ngannou.

At UFC 270, former sparring partners Gane and Ngannou will face in a heavyweight championship unification bout. In an interview with La Suer Clips (French MMA News Outlet) posted on Youtube Monday, Ciryl Gane labeled Francis Ngannou as the most athletic and powerful person he has ever seen.

“Till today, I’ve never seen anyone as powerful, as athletic, with such knockout power, I’ve never seen it. In terms of strength, he might be the most impressive guy in UFC’s history,” said Gane.

Gane’s assessment of Ngannou’s power is not an overstatement. Gane is very familiar with Nganou’s power as the two used to be training and sparring partners at MMA Factory in France before Ngannou had a fallout with the management and moved to the States. Ngannou currently trains at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas.

In 2017, Ngannou visited the UFC Performance Institute, where he set the world record for the hardest punch ever. Ngannou recorded a punch of 129,161 units, breaking Tyrone Spong’s previous record. His speed power was measured at 51,064-foot pounds/per second, which is equivalent to the horsepower of a small car.

Video of Ngannou’s record-setting punch

Ngannou has scored 12 knockout victories of his 16, with eight of them coming in the first round. Gane, on the other hand, doesn’t pack the punch as powerful as Ngannou, only having four career wins by knockout with just one in the first round. Cautious of Ngannou’s power, Gane knows that he has to play it safe and strategic when the two lock horns in the Octagon.

“You know, we’re coming into this fight with our own strengths. We’re not here to try and counter his strengths. We don’t want to try and be stronger than him,” said Gane. “I’m not gonna try to become stronger than him in three months, it wouldn’t make sense.”

Do you think there is a person in MMA more powerful than Francis Ngannou?

Continue Reading Ciryl Gane: Ngannou Is Most Powerful & Athletic Person I’ve Ever Seen at MMA News.