Artem Lobov has decided to walk away from combat sports.

Last Saturday, Lobov lost by TKO to Denys Berinchyk in a bare-knuckle fight. Berinchyk is an Olympic silver medalist and an undefeated WBO international lightweight champ. After the fight, Lobov hinted he would likely retire.

Now, nearly a week later, Lobov told Ariel Helwani he was indeed retiring. He later gave a statement to MMAFighting to confirm the news.

“It’s true, time to close the career,” Lobov said in a statement to MMA Fighting provided by Parimatch. “There’s plenty other options and suggestions to prolong my path, but not fighting. In order to succeed, you have to say goodbye and concentrate on other things. Of course, I’ll be with Mahatch and the Parimatch team. All my sponsors are already family for me. I feel this support indeed. So I won’t say goodbye from all fighting activities, but I need to finish my career as a fighter.”

Lobov walks away as a fan favorite as many called him the GOAT. He always made it clear he wanted to fight the toughest opponents and that is exactly what he did in his career. He had also told BJPENN.com last year he would likely retire in a year or two.

Artem Lobov ended his MMA career with a record of 13-15-1 and one No Contest. He ended on a three-fight losing streak with decision losses to Michael Johnson, Andre Fili, and Cub Swanson. Lobov went 2-5 in the UFC and headlined one event. On TUF, he also scored knockout wins over Julian Erosa, Chris Gruetzmacher, and James Jenkins. The Russian also went 2-2 in bare-knuckle with wins over Paulie Malignaggi and Jason Knight.

What is your favorite memory from Artem Lobov’s fighting career now that he has announced his retirement? Let us know in the comment section, PENN Nation!