Conor McGregor’s longtime training partner Artem Lobov is set to help prepare for “The Notorious” in the bout between his teammate and Floyd Mayweather. Ahead of the controversial mega-fight, “The Russian Hammer” revealed he’s a bit surprised at what weight the fight will take place. As you’ve likely heard, the August 26th match-up will be contested at […]
Conor McGregor’s longtime training partner Artem Lobov is set to help prepare for “The Notorious” in the bout between his teammate and Floyd Mayweather. Ahead of the controversial mega-fight, “The Russian Hammer” revealed he’s a bit surprised at what weight the fight will take place.
As you’ve likely heard, the August 26th match-up will be contested at 154 pounds. Since McGregor is the reigning UFC lightweight champ at 155 pounds, the fact he’s agreed to fight at that weight is clearly understandable. Since Mayweather was fighting at 147 pounds prior to his initial retirement, however, there had been talk a bout with McGregor would be at a lower weight than 154.
Lobov recently spoke to MMA Junkie and had this to say about the contracted weight for Mayweather vs. McGregor:
“That was a bit of surprise for me, to be honest,” Lobov said. “I thought Mayweather would try to push the weight as low as possible. This suits us perfectly. Conor will be a lot bigger than Mayweather now. He’ll be a lot stronger than him. This all plays into our hands.”
When you consider that McGregor is big for lightweight, and that he twice competed at 170 pounds last year, you can understand the reasoning behind these comments. McGregor will be considerably bigger than the undefeated boxing star.
But since “Money” is one of the greatest pugilists of all time, and because McGregor has no pro boxing bouts, chances are Mayweather’s camp didn’t push too hard on the weight issue.
After all, Mayweather took on “Canelo” Alvarez at 154 back in 2013 and won via unanimous decision. That bout may have been pre-prime Alvarez, but “Canelo” could crack then as he can now.
All that aside, Lobov also offered this prediction on the upcoming superfight:
“Conor doesn’t just show up for a payday and take a beating. He is in this fight because he knows he can win it. I know he can win this. Not only do I know he can win this, he will win it. I’m 100 percent certain of that.
“He stops him before Round 6 is over. Mark my words.”
No one can dispute that 2017 has been a down year for the Ultimate Fighting Championship thus far. There have been a few bright spots like UFC 211 and the highly anticipated battle between Jose Aldo and Max Holloway at UFC 212, but they largely been overshadowed by mediocre Fight Night cards, some with head […]
No one can dispute that 2017 has been a down year for the Ultimate Fighting Championship thus far.
There have been a few bright spots like UFC 211 and the highly anticipated battle between Jose Aldo and Max Holloway at UFC 212, but they largely been overshadowed by mediocre Fight Night cards, some with head scratching main events.
Things are finally looking up with the McGregor vs. Mayweather super-fight getting finalized. Next month’s UFC 213 also looks outstanding, with two title fights and a bevy of other exciting scraps.
But before the good times start rolling again, there will be another entry to the crappy event list added this weekend. With that in mind, let’s look back at the eight worst bookings of 2017 so far.
1. UFC Fight Night 103: Penn vs. Rodriguez
No list of cringe-worthy bookings would be complete without the epic mismatch between dynamic rising featherweight star Yair Rodriguez and all-time great BJ Penn. The two were set to do battle at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona, on January 15, but it wasn’t much of a fight.
Penn was making his return to fighting after a two-and-a-half-year retirement, taking his second-ever fight at featherweight. Various opponent switches, injuries, and suspensions delayed his return by nearly a year, and left him with “Pantera” as his comeback foe. Rodriguez, meanwhile, was undefeated in the UFC and regarded as one of the most promising prospects in the 145-pound division.
Penn looked better initially than he had in his last fight, an embarrassing and perplexing third loss to Frankie Edgar. But the positives wouldn’t last long. The high-flying “Pantera” hurt Penn with a kick to the body in the first round that seemed to sap the Hawaiian’s resolve. Free to unleash the full breadth of his arsenal, Rodriguez teed off, nearly finishing Penn at the end of the frame.
He would mop up Penn early in the second. Another kick dropped “The Prodigy”, and Rodriguez finished him off with ground and pound. The victory gave the exciting young Mexican the most high-profile scalp of his career but did little to test him. It also served as a humiliating setback for Penn. It was a predictable outcome that nevertheless did little to elevate either fighter, more sad than anything else.
2. UFC 208: Holm vs. De Randamie
The premiere MMA organization’s debut in Brooklyn was supposed to be a watershed moment for New York MMA and the UFC. Instead, it was a roundly mocked debacle.
With Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey on the sidelines for 2017, the UFC needed (and still needs) all of the star power it can acquire or manufacture. One star that had shown promise as a draw, particularly in her native Brazil, was Cris “Cyborg” Justino. The former Strikeforce and Invicta FC featherweight champion had two catchweight bouts in the UFC, winning each by first-round knockout, and the company planned to launch its own women’s 145-pound division to showcase her talents.
But negotiations with the cagey “Cyborg” broke down, with the Brazilian insisting that she would not be ready to fight on the Brooklyn card. Frustrated with Justino, and needing a headliner for the pay-per-view (PPV) UFC 208, the UFC brass decided to move forward with their featherweight plans without her.
Enter former bantamweight champion Holly Holm and fellow kickboxing champ Germaine de Randamie. The UFC hoped to cash in on the notoriety Holm still possessed following her earth-shattering knockout of Rousey, despite the fact that she had lost two straight since. De Randamie had little star power of her own. She simply had the good fortune of being a big bantamweight coming off a win with a striking-oriented style that would (in theory) provide a favorable matchup for Holm.
Fans and pundits jeered the fight and the card in general. A UFC women’s featherweight championship fight that did not involve “Cyborg” was laughable; the winner would never be regarded as the best 145er with Justino still lurking.
The fight and its aftermath only served to intensify the mockery. De Randamie won a controversial decision marred by multiple fouls for striking Holm after the bell, fouls that were not punished by the referee. She has since ducked and then flat out refused to accept “Cyborg” has her first challenger, risking having the belt stripped.
Artem Lobov has offered a respectful challenge to Jose Aldo. Aldo saw his second reign as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight title holder end at UFC 212. Max Holloway earned a third-round TKO to become the undisputed 145-pound champion. Lobov is well aware of Aldo. “The Russian Hammer” trains with Conor McGregor and backed […]
Artem Lobov has offered a respectful challenge to Jose Aldo. Aldo saw his second reign as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight title holder end at UFC 212. Max Holloway earned a third-round TKO to become the undisputed 145-pound champion. Lobov is well aware of Aldo. “The Russian Hammer” trains with Conor McGregor and backed […]
All eyes are on Floyd Mayweather to see if he’ll sign the contract to fight Conor McGregor. McGregor recently signed his end of the deal. Now it’s up to Mayweather and his team to come to an agreement. If the fight is made official, it’s likely going to come to fruition this fall. In a […]
All eyes are on Floyd Mayweather to see if he’ll sign the contract to fight Conor McGregor. McGregor recently signed his end of the deal. Now it’s up to Mayweather and his team to come to an agreement. If the fight is made official, it’s likely going to come to fruition this fall. In a […]
While we sit back and wait for the spectacle that will be UFC 211, let us take a look back at what went down in the month of April inside the Octagon. Three events were completed, with several worthy contenders for “Fight, Knockout and Submission of the Month” being up for consideration. After going back […]
While we sit back and wait for the spectacle that will be UFC 211, let us take a look back at what went down in the month of April inside the Octagon. Three events were completed, with several worthy contenders for “Fight, Knockout and Submission of the Month” being up for consideration. After going back […]
With every decision comes a consequence and for those fighters who took part in battle at UFC Fight Night 108, it’s their time to faces those consequences in the form of medical suspensions. A featherweight bout between Cub Swanson and Artem Lobov headlined the event while Al Iaquinta vs. Diego Sanchez in a lightweight bout
With every decision comes a consequence and for those fighters who took part in battle at UFC Fight Night 108, it’s their time to faces those consequences in the form of medical suspensions.
A featherweight bout between Cub Swanson and Artem Lobov headlined the event while Al Iaquinta vs. Diego Sanchez in a lightweight bout served as the co-main event. Rounding out the main card were Ovince Saint Preux vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima in a light heavyweight bout, John Dodson vs. Eddie Wineland in a bantamweight bout, Joe Lauzon vs. Stevie Ray in a lightweight bout and Jake Ellenberger vs. Mike Perry in a welterweight bout.
Some of the more notable suspensions include Lobov being suspended 60 days or until cleared by physician and 30 days no contact for right foot, Marcos Rogerio de Lima being suspended 60 days or until cleared by physician and 30 days no contact for cut and Mike Perry being suspended 180 days and 180 days no contact or until cleared by physician for nose.
Here are the entire medical suspensions:
Cub Swanson: suspended 7 days with 7 days no contact
Artem Lobov: suspended 60 days or until cleared by physician and 30 days no contact for right foot
Diego Sanchez: suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact
Marcos Rogerio de Lima: suspended 60 days or until cleared by physician and 30 days no contact for cut
Eddie Wineland: suspended 60 days and 60 days no contact or until cleared by physician
Joe Lauzon: suspended 60 days and 60 days no contact or until cleared by physician for cut
Stevie Ray: suspended 30 days with 14 days no contact for cut
Mike Perry: suspended 180 days and 180 days no contact or until cleared by physician for nose
Jake Ellenberger: suspended 60 days with 45 days no contact
Sam Alvey: suspended 180 days and 180 days no contact or until cleared by physician for left ankle
Dustin Ortiz: suspended 60 days with 45 days no contact
Scott Holtzman: suspended 180 days and 180 days no contact or until cleared by physician for possible right foot fracture
Michael McBride: suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact for hard bout
Cindy Dandois: suspended 180 days and 180 days no contact or until cleared by physician for possible right foot fracture
Joe Proctor: suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact
Matt Schnell: suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact
