Artem Lobov focused on getting million-dollar paydays, plans on retiring in two years

By Cole Shelton - December 8, 2020

Artem Lobov was supposed to make his return to MMA.

Artem Lobov

Lobov was expected to headline ARENA Fight 2 against Ylies Djiroun for the lightweight title, however, it was announced on Tuesday the event is canceled. Although this is a promotion many didn’t expect him to sign with, for Lobov, he just wanted to fight once in 2020.

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“It has been frustrating. I was taking it easy to begin the year because I didn’t know this year would turn out the way it did. I thought I’d enjoy myself and relax after the bare-knuckle fights because I had a busy year in 2019,” Lobov said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “The goal was to fight in April and then corona hit, and it didn’t look like I was going to fight this year. I’m very happy I am actually fighting because it would have been a sad Christmas for me.”

Part of the reason why Artem Lobov signed with ARENA Fight is due to the fact they gave him a one-fight contract. At this point in his career, “The Russian Hammer” is looking for million-dollar paydays, and to do that, he needs to keep his options open, especially given the fact he plans to retire in two years.

“This is a one-fight deal so I will be going back to everyone. For me it is simple, whoever pays the most is where I go. I want to have my options open and happy to compete across all the sports. Kickboxing, boxing, bare knuckle, MMA. Money talks. I’m only fighting for two more years. I need to make money… The promotions know exactly what I bring,” Lobov explained. “They know I am a good business partner, I never pull out, and whoever decides to do business with me enjoys it. I’m working towards hutting seven-figure paydays. I’ve been getting six-figure paydays for a while now and life is good with that. But, if you want to really provide for the future, secure a good future for my family I have to hit the seven-figure paydays.”

Although Artem Lobov was set to fight for a title, he says he doesn’t care for it that much. Instead, he just wants to give fans a show and win or lose, expects his stock in free agency to go up from this fight.

“If I am honest, I believe so. It should be that way. If you look at soccer, you will see more than half the teams have a losing record but every time they play the stadium is full. I don’t believe in undefeated records because losing is part of reality,” Lobov said. “In real life, you lose a lot of the time but you need to keep going… When I come to fight they know what to expect, it will be violent, I will march forward, be aggressive, and throw bombs. This is an entertainment business and I provide it more than most.”

When Artem Lobov becomes a free agent again he hopes to get the Zubaira Tukhugov fight or Jason Knight trilogy in 2021.

What promotion do you think Artem Lobov will sign with next?

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


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