Dana White updates on Artem Lobov’s status in the UFC

Back in April, on the eve of UFC 223, Conor McGregor arrived in Brooklyn, and promptly went ballistic, throwing a dolly through the window of a shuttle bus carrying a number of the card’s fighters. While McGregor has been the main target of fan backlash following this incident, however, he did not act alone. He was accompanied by his long-time training partner Artem Lobov, who was subsequently pulled from his UFC 223 fight with Alex Caceres as a result.

In the wake of this unfortunate incident, there was much speculation as to what the future would hold for Artem Lobov, who has lost his last two bouts in the Octagon. Some members of the MMA community have expected him to be released from the promotion.

According to UFC President Dana White, however, Lobov is still a member of the UFC roster. That said, the Russian-born Irishman’s future will remain uncertain until Conor McGregor’s situation is sorted out.

“Artem is still here,” White said on the latest episode of the UFC Unfiltered podcast. “We haven’t made any moves on Artem lately. I’m still waiting to see what happens with Conor to deal with this whole situation.”

McGregor, to remind, is due to appear in court in New York City on June 15. From the sounds of it, both his and Lobov’s futures should become much less nebulous following this court date.

Lobov, who gave up decisions to Andre Fili and Cub Swanson in his last two bouts, was recently called out by Kyle Bochniak. From the sounds of it, he was all for this scrap.

https://twitter.com/KyleBochniak/status/999480036553121792

“[Artem Lobov] If you are available, would love to share the octagon with you September, 15 in Moscow Russia,” Bochniak said in a Tweet to Lobov. “I like your style & believe we can put on a hell of a show.”

https://twitter.com/RusHammerMMA/status/999584981604294657

“Lets do it!” Lobov said in his reply.

What do you think the future hold for Artem Lobov?

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 6/5/2018.