Artem Lobov was once inseparable from Conor McGregor, yet in recent years, their relationship has seemingly devolved into courtroom battles and jabs being thrown around on social media. But just months ahead of his return at PFL Dubai, Lobov has put all the noise aside to surprisingly defend ‘The Notorious’ from an old enemy: Team Khabib!  Lobov’s opponent for his upcoming bout? Zubaira Tukhugov. The same man from Khabib Nurmagomedov’s team who infamously jumped into the cage and swung at McGregor after UFC 229 back in 2018.

Now, nearly seven years later, the two will finally get to settle the score. As such, in a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Lobov didn’t hold back when revisiting the post-fight chaos. When asked about his prior matchup with Tukhugov from 2018 in the UFC, he confirmed that the melee was the reason behind its cancellation.

Lobo stated, “Exactly. And that’s another reason, you know, I mean, just even there, you know, what is he doing Tukhugov. Like you’re jumping into the cage of a fighter that just had a fight, is exhausted, and you’re jumping with a big gang of you, and you’re so brave and attacking him, come on.”

‘The Russian Hammer’ then issued a challenge. According to him in the recent interview, “You want to jump like this and be aggressive, well let’s go. We’re going to fight one on one and let’s see how aggressive he will be. I bet you he’ll be wrestling from the changing rooms. He’ll just be holding me down, he wont’ want to fight. He won’t want to engage. But this is your chance. You came in with punches at corner, well, come with punches at me now.”

The intensity isn’t surprising. Artem Lobov and Conor McGregor’s history with Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s camp is one of the most notorious feuds in MMA. It started when the Dagestani team reportedly slapped Lobov backstage in a confrontation just days before UFC 223.

That incident led McGregor to fly to Brooklyn, along with his crew, and throw a dolly at a bus that had UFC fighters seated inside it. The feud kept simmering till UFC 229, and it all exploded with Nurmagomedov jumping out of the cage onto the Irishman’s team. In fact, as mentioned by Artem Lobov, it was Tukhugov who reportedly climbed inside the cage to throw punches at ‘The Notorious’.

Now, Lobov will face Tukhugov at 165 lbs on the undercard of PFL Dubai, headlined by Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes 2. Both men are returning from long layoffs, with Lobov last competing in MMA back in 2018 before his stint in bare-knuckle boxing.

Despite his legal battle with McGregor over Proper No.12 whiskey, Artem Lobov seemingly hasn’t forgotten who stood by him in the early days. The loyalty clearly runs deep. In fact, his criticism of Team Khabib may be the clearest sign yet that no matter what happens in court, his grudge with ‘The Eagle’s team runs deeper.  But why did it take so long for the fight to take place?

Artem Lobov reveals why it took so long to settle the score with Team Khabib

Turns out, the delay wasn’t just about bad blood; it was about bad timing. In his interview with Ariel Helwani, Artem Lobov explained that after the UFC 229 brawl, Tukhugov was suspended for a year. That left things in limbo.

“Because obviously if you recall, he was in the UFC still, but he was suspended for a year. He decided to remain in the UFC. And for me, I was like, I just had a kid on the way and I needed to be making money, you know?” Lobov said.

He wasn’t willing to sit around and wait. A lucrative bare-knuckle deal came knocking, and Lobov made the jump as he further shared, “So I said, ‘Look, I’m not waiting a year for him and I wasn’t even sure if he was going to be allowed to fight back.” I didn’t know what was going to happen. So I left the UFC, went Bare Knuckle, he stayed in the UFC, so then that was not possible.”

That’s why, despite the high-profile feud, the fight faded into the background. Lobov went on to fight in BKFC from 2019 to 2021, while Tukhugov returned to the Octagon but never regained his momentum. He had a split draw with Lerone Murphy once he returned from his suspension in 2019, but two wins, two losses, and multiple failed weight cuts left his UFC career stalled. The grudge remained, but the fight stayed buried.

Now, with both fighters free of UFC ties and under the PFL banner, the clash finally has a stage. No more delays. No more contract issues. Just seven years of tension, set to explode in Dubai. And while Artem Lobov and Conor McGregor may now sit on opposite sides of a courtroom, this bout shows some bonds don’t break that easily.