"It's assault. You should be getting criminal charges for that" - Artem Lobov blasts T.J. Dillashaw for PED history ahead of his UFC return
Former UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw is set to make his return to the UFC octagon this weekend following a two-year suspension after testing positive for Erythropoietin (EPO).
Artem Lobov, a former UFC featherweight, bare knuckle fighter and training partner of Conor McGregor, has stated that not only does he think T.J. Dillashaw should not be allowed to return to MMA, but that he should also be facing criminal charges.
In a recent interview with Oscar Willis for TheMacLife, Artem Lobov was asked his thoughts on Dillashaw's impending UFC return. 'The Russian Hammer' replied by stating the following:
"It's assault. You should be getting criminal charges for that."
Artem Lobov demands more punishment from the UFC for T.J. Dillashaw
As well as claiming that T.J. Dillashaw should face criminal charges, Lobov also believes that the former champion should not have been able to keep the money he made in the UFC whilst on PED's. He states that:
"On top of that, I would like to add, the money should have been taken from him. Let's be honest, if they had caught him right before the fight, the fight wouldn't have happened, he wouldn't have gotten paid. So if you got him after, why should he still keep the money. He's done that illegally. If you win in a casino by cheating, do you keep the winnings? No, they get taken off you. So it should be the same story here."
Lobov's frustration at the lack of punishment for T.J. Dillashaw testing positive for EPO was clear to see as he continued to vent his anger at the fact that Dillashaw has been able to return to the UFC.
"Where is the f***ing punishment? Come on now, this is such a serious, serious offense... Some scumbags, they aren't man enough to compete fair. They need some advantage. They want to bring a knife in their pocket and stab you in the back when your not looking. Those are the kind of people that he is. To me, he will forever be tainted," stated Lobov on T.J. Dillashaw.
Catch Lobov's full interview with TheMacLife below:
Lobov himself is set to compete this weekend in a bare knuckle fight. HIs opponent is Denys Berinchyk, a Ukrainian pro boxer who will make his bare knuckle debut against Lobov. However, he will undoubtedly bring a high level of skill to the fight, having won a silver medal at the 2012 Olympics.