Artem Lobov explains why Conor McGregor has the potential to knock out his opponents at welterweight
Artem Lobov has asserted that former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor is more than capable of knocking his opponents out in the welterweight division.
During an appearance on the All About Ability podcast with Kieran Burns, Lobov – among other things – spoke about his longtime friend Conor McGregor. Burns noted that McGregor, a well-known KO artist, could not knock out Nate Diaz in their pair of welterweight bouts.
Lobov responded by lauding Diaz for his legendary durability and praising Conor McGregor for his KO power. Lobov explained that while no fighter had truly been able to knock Diaz out – even in his lone TKO loss – there are other fighters at welterweight whom McGregor could stop via knockout.
‘The Russian Hammer’ believes Conor McGregor’s ability to utilize his opponent’s momentum against them makes the Irishman capable of KO’ing anyone regardless of what weight class he competes in. Lobov said:
“I do think that there’s many other guys at 170 (welterweight) that Conor would have the power to knock out. Because, it’s not even just about pure power. The thing about Conor’s knockouts was the timing and the distance control. He was able to catch guys, kind of mid-their shots."
"When they’re sort of committed to their own shot – all the kinetic energy of their own shot comes with it – and then Conor just meets them as they’re coming in. That makes the shot so devastating and the knockout blow. So, that’s why when you knock people out that way, it transfers well across the weight classes.”
Artem Lobov indicated that if a fighter simply moves forward to pursue the KO – rather than setting traps and using the opponent’s momentum against them as Conor McGregor does – the fighter’s KO power usually isn’t effective against heavier opponents.
Artem Lobov is competing for a noble cause, while Conor McGregor continues working on his comeback
Artem Lobov is set to compete in a wheelchair boxing bout against Kieran Burns, a disability advocate and podcaster. Lobov’s fight will be featured on a special wheelchair boxing card to raise funds for the Irish Wheelchair Association. The event will take place in Galway City on September 11th, 2021.
Meanwhile, Conor McGregor is recovering from a leg injury. He has vowed to come back stronger than ever, and is expected to return to the octagon in 2022.