Dana White seems confident in putting Conor McGregor on the White House card next year. It’s going to be a monumental event on the occasion of Donald Trump’s 80th birthday on June 14, 2026. The opponent? Well, it looks like McGregor is finally going to fight Michael Chandler. Still, his former comrade, Artem Lobov, doesn’t think it’s going to be easy for ‘The Notorious.’ He had a few notes for McGregor’s comeback, which he shared during an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports.

Michael Chandler is 2-5 in the UFC, and for many, it makes sense for Conor McGregor, who is currently facing an 18-month suspension for missing drug tests, to make his return against his rival TUF coach three years after their season ended. Artem Lobov, whose relationship with the Irishman has soured over the past few years, claims that nobody can stop the former double champion when he’s in total fight mode. However, the current state of affairs and McGregor’s lifestyle have him believing that Chandler could easily beat him.

Artem Lobov talks Conor McGregor’s White House return

“Listen, if it’s going to be the real Conor McGregor, he can do it all. He can become the president, he can destroy Michael Chandler, but not this guy right now,” Artem Lobov told Andrew Whitelaw during the exclusive interview with EssentiallySports. “So, we need to get the old Conor back first. You know, if it’s going to be this lad here that I don’t recognize, he can’t do anything.”

In his current state, Artem Lobov claims Conor McGregor doesn’t really stand a chance against the top fighters in the UFC, especially due to his time away from the Octagon and partying lifestyle. “This guy is in serious, serious trouble, and no one can help him other than himself. It needs to be him first. He needs to be the guy that makes commitments to not f—ing drink, and whatever else he’s doing, all the partying,” Lobov added.

Despite their fallout, Lobov’s confidence in a committed McGregor’s success remains unchanged. Back in 2021, after McGregor’s UFC 264 leg break, Lobov had told MMA Fighting, “It’s going to be a slow process, but I remember when Conor came back from his ACL injury, he’s done that twice, he did it better than anyone before him. I have no doubt it’s going to be the same result this time.”

While Conor McGregor is talking about a comeback, his former friend was about to make his return at the PFL after five years. Unfortunately, that didn’t come to fruition due to an injury, and the Russian fighter has placed the blame on McGregor’s promotion.

Artem Lobov blames Conor McGregor’s BKFC for the scrapping of his PFL fight

The 38-year-old MMA veteran was scheduled to fight at PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai against Team Khabib’s Zubaira Tukhugov. But an accidental head clash during camp caused a massive cut above Artem Lobov’s left eye. Conor McGregor’s former friend has a history of facial injuries, and this one was quite serious after the doctors told him he was facing a severe laceration.

“It wasn’t just a cut — I also had this triangle-shaped tear,” Lobov told Ushatayka. Conor McGregor’s former comrade then took aim at BKFC and his time fighting in that promotion, which, he claims, has exacerbated his injury. “This was most likely due to the fact that I have a lot of scars on my face from Bare Knuckle, and really, from all my fights. There are so many that my face tears very easily,” Artem Lobov added.

Well, the animosity between the two hasn’t died down, but despite that, Artem Lobov has said pleasant things about Conor McGregor. But do you think ‘The Notorious’ will take the Russian fighter’s advice in preparation for his UFC comeback? Drop your comments below.