“The thing everybody thinks of when they think about Russia is how tough the people are. When they see a fighter continuously pulling out, that's something that they really don't like. Then they look at a guy like Conor who always shows up and does what he says he's going to do. That really resonates with the Russian public.”

Irish-Russian former mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle boxer, born 1986

Artem Lobov is an Irish-Russian former professional mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle boxer. He was born in 1986 and is known for competing in the featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, as well as in bare-knuckle boxing. A professional since 2010, Lobov also appeared as a cast member on The Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor vs. Team Faber. He has fought for ACB, the UFC, Cage Warriors, and Cage Contender, and is based in Dublin as a member of SBG Ireland.