Artem Lobov rejects the idea that Conor McGregor needs to part ways with SBG Ireland coach John Kavanagh ahead of his UFC 264 rematch vs. Dustin Poirier.
Artem Lobov is firing back at the notion that Conor McGregor needs to leave coach John Kavanagh and SBG Ireland in order to beat Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.
Poirier vs. McGregor III will serve as the headliner for UFC 264, taking place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV on Sat., July 10 via ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV). Lobov, McGregor’s friend and longtime teammate, disagrees with anyone who believes McGregor is better off without his long-term camp.
“Absolutely, he would never leave them, he’s a loyal guy,” Lobov told Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “But, the main thing is as well, hold on, guys, you mean leave the coach that helped him become the first-ever two-weight world champion? You mean that coach? The coach that helped him achieve something that nobody has achieved before. Is that the coach you want him to leave? Come on now. Yeah, this is a f—king tough game of course.
“We all talked about this. Sometimes Conor maybe wasn’t committed, wasn’t training as hard as he should have. We know what the issues are,” Lobov continued about McGregor. “It has nothing to do with the coaches. Now, he’s committed again, he’s training all the time, and he’s with the right people. John Kavanagh knows his every move. To switch coaches, if I were to switch coaches, I wouldn’t fight for two years then. You need two years to really understand the coach.”
Lobov (13-15-1-1, MMA) was unable to train with McGregor for UFC 264, as the former two-division Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) titleholder is training in Dubai. Lobov is currently preparing for a bare-knuckle boxing match vs. Denys Berinchyk for Mahatch FC.
“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to spar Conor because him and John Kavanagh and the whole main camp are away in Dubai, training,” Lobov concluded. “That is where the camp set with all the restrictions it was easier to do it there… We will get it done, I have no doubt that Conor will get the win and I will bring another win as well July 24.”
UFC 264 takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV on Sat., July 10, 2021, via ESPN+ PPV.
Take a look at the UFC 264 line up here.