That was fast.
Not long after Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) granted his unconditional release, Artem Lobov will make his combat sports return against fellow UFC export Jason Knight at the upcoming Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship event on April 20.
That’s according to a report from ESPN, which has “The Russian Hammer” nailing down a six-figure contract across three fights, in a deal that allows the former Ultimate Fighter to compete in mixed martial arts (MMA).
“I cannot wait to fight for Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship,” said Lobov in today’s release. “I have been following them since the beginning. I love what they are doing and I thank David Feldman for believing in me. I look forward to this new stage in my career and I think it has the perfect ruleset for me to perform at my best ability. I look forward to becoming a star in this sport.”
Lobov (13-15-1, 1 NC) found his way into UFC by way of TUF 22, but fell to Ryan Hall in the season finale. He would finish with a 2-5 record inside the Octagon and was more famous for his friendship with UFC megastar Conor McGregor than his in-cage accomplishments.
He also served as the catalyst for McGregor’s Brooklyn bus attack, thanks to a hotel confrontation with current UFC lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov. Now that Lobov has a new home, perhaps we can finally nail down that Zubaira Tukhugov grudge match?