Photo By David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile via Getty Images
Conor McGregor has kind words for his long time sparring partner.
Artem Lobov lost his bare knuckle boxing rematch against fellow UFC veteran Jason Knight this past weekend at BKFC 9. Shortly after five-round battle, Lobov’s long time sparring partner in Conor McGregor sent him a heart felt message on social media and congratulating him for putting on another entertaining contest.
“Artem Lobov! What a warrior!” McGregor wrote on Instagram. “What a journey this has been mate. What a journey this is! You blow me away bro, from the world tours to the ultimate fighter to this! You deserve the world and more my brother! Congrats on another amazing fight! What a story! Brothers for life mate.
“Congrats to Jason Knight. Amazing warrior. Great fight.”
With this last loss, Lobov drops to 2-1 in bare knuckle boxing. While his 13-15-1 (1 NC) MMA record isn’t exactly the best out there, Lobov got that rub from his famous teammate, and certainly managed to grab some opportunities and do well for himself.
The 33-year-old has headlined multiple events (including one in the UFC), has an official win over Paulie Malignaggi, and got paydays that journeymen with similar records wouldn’t ever see. He may not have won most of his matches, but McGregor is right that Lobov has had an interesting story and career path.