SBG Ireland coach John Kavanagh isn’t thrilled with those who say Artem Lobov is worthless in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Last night (Oct. 27), Lobov went one-on-one with Michael Johnson. “The Menace” stepped up on short notice when Zubaira Tukhugov was pulled due to his involvement in the UFC 229 brawl. Lobov fell short against Johnson, losing via unanimous decision.
John Kavanagh Releases Statement Defending Artem Lobov
There are many who say Lobov’s only use is for fans on the Internet to make memes. Many fans jokingly label him as the undefeated “GOAT.” Kavanagh especially took issue with a recent piece done by MMAFighting.com’s Chuck Mindenhall. The SBG Ireland coach took to his Facebook page to release a statement. Here’s part of what he said:
“Artem Lobov is only in the UFC because of his relationship with Conor McGregor. Maybe. Only for Conor he would not have been brought back after his preliminary loss on the Ultimate Fighter and, who knows, maybe quit. He has a losing record and just suffered another loss last night. If it’s just records you’re interested in, if someone’s win/loss record is as deep as your analysis is capable of then I’d stop reading now. Actually if you’ve never really tried to achieve anything yourself and instead enjoy making snide remarks and commentating on where the ‘the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better’ then I recommend Chuck Mindenhall’s recent article.
But if you are interested in a sincere argument, one which we may disagree on at the end, then continue. I would just ask that you are honest and base your points on logic rather than your dislike for his high profile teammate. So does Artem deserve to be in the UFC based on his own merits? Should he be cut after another loss? Well firstly, if losses against high level opposition were the only criteria for being cut then you’d be quickly left with just 2 in each weight class. Sounds obvious but on every fight card HALF the fighters lose. Cut them all?”
You can check out the rest of Kavanagh’s lengthy post below:
Artem Lobov is only in the UFC because of his relationship with Conor McGregor. Maybe. Only for Conor he would not have…
Posted by Coach John Kavanagh on Sunday, October 28, 2018
Lobov has gone 2-5 inside the Octagon and that doesn’t include his fights inside “The Ultimate Fighter” house. “The Russian Hammer” hasn’t won a bout since Nov. 2016. It was on that night, that Conor McGregor hopped inside the Octagon to embrace Lobov in front of a red hot crowd in Belfast, Ireland.
Do you think John Kavanagh is letting his emotions get the better of him or does he have a point?
