To date, Conor McGregor‘s UFC 229 fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov remains the best-selling UFC pay-per-view of all time. After defeating Eddie Alvarez in stunning fashion, McGregor sought to triumphantly return to the Octagon and reclaim the title following a loss to Floyd Mayweather.
According to former teammate Artem Lobov, however, who has been at odds with McGregor since 2022, the former champ champ barely trained for the bout.
During an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show this week, Lobov reflected on McGregor’s preparations for the fight, saying that the former champ champ was more focused on partying than he was training:
“I know that fight bothers Conor because he didn’t train at all for that fight. Twice a week he was training for Khabib [Nurmagomedov]. … He was in the wrong mindset. He was in a party mindset. He was training twice a week, that’s it. So when I saw the fight, I was like, ‘oh my God, if only you trained 4 times a week you probably would have beaten him.’
“Imagine him with a full camp, the Conor that fought Alvarez. Imagine that fighter fighting Khabib That’s what I want to see.”
Artem Lobov Opens Up on Conor McGregor’s Return
Despite the fact that Artem Lobov and Conor McGregor had a falling out, as Ariel Helwani pointed out, there seems to be no bad blood from Lobov’s side.
Instead, when discussing McGregor’s potential return, Lobov expressed his support for McGregor after the former champ champ recorded his first test of 2025.
At the same time, however, he noted how the Conor McGregor fans see today is pretty much unrecognizable from the fighter he once knew.
As he explained, years back McGregor famously went into his fight with Chad Mendes with several torn ligaments in his knees. Last year, however, McGregor pulled out of his fight with Michael Chandler due to a broken pinky toe.
“I’d feel better if this was Conor of before, the guy I know. We wouldn’t have [a] falling out. And now it’s completely different Conor, I don’t recognize him. … He didn’t even make it to the press conference with the sore toe, that’s not the same Conor. This is not the guy that I know. I want to see the old one back.”
Artem Lobov Set to Throw Down With Zubaira Tukhugov Years After Infamous Brawl
Despite the fact that Artem Lobov hasn’t fought since his 2021 bareknuckle boxing loss to Denis Berinchyk, The Russian Hammer is set to return to action against Zubaira Tukhugov on the PFL Dubai card on Oct. 3.
Lobov shared news of the fight on Twitter this week, writing:
“7 years in the making! Time to get revenge!!”
The two were initially set to fight back in 2018, however, Tukhugov was pulled from the fight due to his involvement in the UFC 229 Team McGregor vs. Team Khabib brawl.
While Lobov hasn’t fought since 2021, Tukhugov hasn’t fought since 2023, when he dropped a split decision to Elves Brener.
Now, seven years later, the two will have a chance to settle things inside the PFL SmartCage.
Artem Lobov Spills On Conor McGregor’s Prep For Khabib Nurmagomedov Fight