THE Russian Hammer Artem Lobov is ready to follow in the footsteps of his famous training partner Conor McGregor and claim a knockout win this weekend at UFC Belfast.
Lobov takes on Japanese wild man Teruto Ishihara in a featherweight bout between two fighters with plenty of finishing potential, but in vastly different packages.
While Ishihara has an unpredictable, unorthodox style, Lobov has a come-forward, heavy-handed approach.
And speaking to SunSport at Ultimate Media Day in Belfast, the Dublin-based featherweight says he has the skills to put the Japanese maverick away inside the distance.
“He looks very unorthodox from what I can see, but I look forward to making him an ordinary guy,” he said.
“And that is very easy to do.
“Put the pressure on, land a few of the ‘Russian Hammers’ and then they become a panic wrestler.
“That’s what people do – that’s just a natural human reaction.
“And that’s exactly what I’ll look to do.
“I’ll put the pressure on, he’s gonna feel it, he’s gonna take a shot, I’ll defend the takedown, then I’ll put him away.”
Lobov will be making his fourth appearance under the UFC banner this weekend, and he says he feels fully at home in the Octagon.
“It certainly feels a lot more comfortable now. It feels right, now,” he said.
“Plus, I’m fighting at home now, so that’s a huge advantage.
“Home advantage, like we say in Russia, at home even the walls help you.
“So I look forward to using that on Saturday night, feeding off that energy and getting that knockout.”
Lobov completed the final phase of his training at home in Dublin while friend and training partner McGregor was in New York capturing the UFC lightweight title and making history in the process as the UFC’s first simultaneous two-weight world champion.
And he says his friend’s record-setting success serves as great inspiration ahead of his bout this weekend.
“It’s unbelievable,” he said.
“It’s proven to me something that I’ve already known.
“I train with the best guy in the world. And if that doesn’t give you confidence I don’t know what would?”
And while Lobov may compete under the fighting moniker of ‘The Russian Hammer’, and while he may prefer to stand and bang, he said people shouldn’t be fooled into thinking he’s a one-trick pony inside the Octagon.
“I’m a veteran of the sport,” he said.
“I’ve got 30 fights. I’ve got the most fights at Straight Blast Gym. I’ve been around for a very long time.
“I train with a two-time world champion at the best gym in the world. I work on everything. I can do it all.
“And if you think otherwise, you’re a dumbass!”
Happy and smiling away from the cage, when Lobov gets into fight mode, it’s as real as it gets, and he made a chilling prediction for his opponent when they meet in the Octagon on fight night.
“The start of the fight is gonna be me putting the pressure on and never letting him go anywhere.
“I’m gonna chase him around that ring, I’m gonna put the pressure on, back him up against the fence, then I’m gonna end his life.”
And if he finishes up as the winner on fight night, ‘The Russian Hammer’ says he’s ready to make a big-name call-out on the microphone, with a few names in mind.
“There certainly are,” he said. All of them!
“I want them all. I fight very often and I love to fight. This is what I love to do.
“Inside that Octagon it is the most peaceful place on earth. It is my favourite place on earth, and I like to be there as often as I can.
“Once I get inside that Octagon there is no nerves. It’s the best place on earth.
“There is no financial crisis in there, there is no cancer in there, there’s no global warming in there. There is nothing. Just truth.”
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