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

Artem Lobov was supposed to make his return to MMA.

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?