Artem Lobov Will Pay Back Michael Johnson’s 20 Percent Fine
Michael Johnson missed weight for his short-notice featherweight bout against Artem Lobov at the early weigh-ins for tomorrow night’s UFC Moncton from New Brunswick, Canada.
‘The Menace’ was fined the usual 20 percent for missing weight heading into the co-main event bout. But Lobov isn’t accepting that. According to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, ‘The Russian Hammer’ walked up to Johnson after the weigh-ins. He promised to give him the money back in full even though he had to take it first:
I’m told @RusHammerMMA went up to Johnson afterwards and said he will make sure MJ gets the full 20% back bc he is appreciative of the fact that MJ took the fight on short notice. The rules are Lobov has to take the money but he gave Johnson his word he’ll get it back to him.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 26, 2018
Helwani then talked to Lobov himself. The man best known as Conor McGregor’s best friend confirmed he would give Johnson back his cash. In fact, he was so adamant that he told the UFC to just pay Johnson in full to save time. He would even sign any necessary waiver:
I asked Artem Lobov about his decision to give back Johnson’s fine. “I told the UFC to save me the trouble of transferring the cash and just pay him in full,” he said. I’m happy to sign any waivers.
“I show respect where it’s due,” he added. “Always.”
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 26, 2018
That respect stems from Johnson’s willingness to take the bout on short notice after Lobov’s original opponent, archnemesis Zubaira Tukhugov, was pulled from the card after the UFC 229 brawl.
Lobov now has a much higher-profile opponent, but it’s not the one he wants. It’s also a much tougher test. “The Menace” has fought a whos-who of top-ranked lightweight contenders in the UFC. While he hasn’t always fared well, he is the last man to defeat surging former interim champion Tony Ferguson.
Lobov wants to fight Tukhugov. He even said he would leave the UFC is Tukhugov is cut as Dana White said. Still, he has respect for Johnson, and he should probably be placing his focus on the knockout striker he’ll meet tomorrow.
