Former UFC featherweight Artem Lobov has made surprising revelations about Conor McGregor’s preparation for his high-profile bout against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229. He claimed his former teammate was severely undertrained for the biggest match of his career.
In an interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, Lobov pulled back the curtain on what he describes as a lazy approach to training that ultimately cost McGregor victory against the undefeated Dagestani champion. “I know that fight because he didn’t train at all for that fight. Twice a week, he was training for Khabib,” Lobov revealed.
Lobov detailed his attempts to motivate his former training partner, recalling: “I tried to get him into Vegas. I said to him, ‘Conor, come on. Let’s go to Vegas, man. We have to do it. Come on, brother.’ He said, ‘No, f*** off. You just want to go on a horse.’ He just didn’t want to do it.”
Lobov emphasized how different this was from McGregor’s approach to other significant bouts, particularly highlighting the dedication shown during his championship run.
“When I saw the fight, I was like, ‘Oh my god, if only you trained four times a week, you probably would have beaten him,'” Lobov explained. He believes that even minimal additional training could have changed the outcome of the fight that ended with McGregor tapping to a rear-naked choke in the fourth round.
The training regimen that Lobov describes paints a picture of a competitor who had perhaps become too comfortable with success. McGregor, coming off a lucrative boxing match with Floyd Mayweather and riding high on his crossover fame, seemingly underestimated the challenge posed by Khabib’s relentless wrestling and ground control.
The former SBG Ireland training partner expressed frustration at what he saw as a missed opportunity, suggesting that a fully prepared McGregor could have produced a dramatically different result. “Imagine him with full camp, the Conor that fought Alvarez, imagine that Conor fighting Khabib. That’s what I want to see,” Lobov stated.
McGregor has remained largely inactive in MMA since the Khabib match, with only one subsequent bout against Donald Cerrone.
Lobov is currently embroiled in a legal battle with Conor McGregor over alleged unpaid profits from the Proper No. Twelve whiskey deal, which is scheduled to go to trial in December.
During the interview, Lobov also revealed that BKFC still owes him significant pay-per-view revenue from his high-profile bout against former boxing champion Paulie Malignaggi in 2019.
When asked about a potential return to bare knuckle boxing, Lobov disclosed the ongoing financial dispute with BKFC. “Well, actually, funny you say this now, Ariel. You know, there could be opportunity for me to come back for bare knuckle, but you know, bare knuckle still owe me money. You know, my fight with Paul Malignaggi, I never got my pay-per-view money,” Lobov stated during the interview.
According to Lobov, BKFC president Dave Feldman announced that the Malignaggi fight generated 200,000 pay-per-view buys. However, despite the apparent success of the event, Lobov claims he never received his contractual share of the PPV revenue, which he estimates to be approximately $300,000.
Lobov detailed the frustrating process of trying to collect the money owed to him. Initially, he was told to wait eight months before receiving his pay-per-view compensation. After the waiting period expired, Lobov says he repeatedly messaged BKFC officials about the outstanding payment but was met with delays and excuses.
The situation escalated when Lobov enlisted his legal team to pursue the matter. According to Lobov, when his lawyers contacted BKFC, Feldman’s response was that the promotion was reinvesting all profits back into the company to capitalize on their momentum and grow the brand.
“He said to my legal team was, ‘Look, we love it. You know, of course, we’re going to pay him. Unfortunately, at this time, we’ve reinvesting all the money back into bare knuckle,'” Lobov recounted.
Despite the financial dispute, Lobov maintains respect for Feldman as a businessman and believes he will eventually honor the agreement. “I think Dave is a man of his worth. I think he will pay me,” Lobov said. He acknowledged BKFC’s growth and success in recent years, stating he understands what it takes to build a business.
Lobov also indicated that he would be open to returning to bare knuckle competition once the financial matter is resolved. “Once they settle that with me, of course, we can do a fight. No problem,” he stated.
Lobov is currently preparing for his own return to competition, facing Tukhugov in what he describes as a long-awaited settling of scores. The bout stems from the infamous UFC 223 bus incident and subsequent backstage confrontations that created lasting animosity between the camps.
