Artem Lobov thinks his training partner and friend Conor McGregor will beat Khabib Nurmagomedov now that he is fully focused on fighting.
The Irishman first fought the undefeated Russian at UFC 229 back in October 2018. Nurmagomedov retained his lightweight title in emphatic fashion, submitting McGregor in round four after dominating the fight.
Since the bout ‘Notorious’ has admitted he didn’t train correctly and wasn’t focused against his bitter rival. In an interview with Bleacher Report he promised to be in much better shape for the rematch, McGregor said.
“I will admit that the fight before UFC 246, I did not train
properly and was not in perfect condition.”
“I will simply say I was not fully prepared,” McGregor added.
“It proves that anything can happen in the fight game. You can trust that I
will not make the same mistakes next time. I came out well, and in an instant,
things changed. It’s as simple as that.”
Lobov seemingly agrees with him, the Russian by way of Dublin, Ireland said as much during a recent interview with BJPenn.com.
“I think if you look at when Conor lost to Diaz he made the
necessary changed and dominated that fight with three knockdowns. He overcame
the issues he had. You have to give the rematch to Conor,” he explained. “It
won’t be an easy fight but it will be a win for him. Look at round three,
Khabib wasn’t able to score any takedowns. Look at how good Conor did, you have
never seen any fighter do that. There are clear reasons, now that he’s focused,
with another training camp for Khabib that he will win.”
The 155lb champion Nurmagomedov is due to face Tony Ferguson
at UFC 249 on April 18 at a location yet to be confirmed. If he wins Dana White
has previously promised to make the rematch with McGregor as soon as possible.
Will Conor McGregor beat Khabib Nurmagomedov if
they rematch?