Yesterday afternoon, news surfaced that Conor McGregor training partner Artem Lobov had been released from his UFC contract.
Amid this news, Lobov took to Twitter to attempt to get himself a fight in another organization, such as Bellator, KSW, Rizin, or ONE.
“Locked and loaded, ready to take on anyone and everyone,” Lobov wrote in a Tweet that mentioned a number of top combat MMA promotions. “Who wants it?”
This comment from Artem Lobov generated a response from former Bellator and ONE lightweight champ Ben Askren.
“Did the GOAT get cut?” Askren wrote.
Artem Lobov promptly answered this Tweet from Askren.
“Keep that belt warm for me Ben, I’ll be back for it after I take over boxing,” Lobov wrote.
From there, Ben Askren took things up a notch, trashing Lobov for his MMA record.
“Artem you literally stink at fighting, your record is 13-15,” he said. “I’m glad you’re living the gimmick because we are all getting a good laugh out of it.”
Artem Lobov then fired back:
“Relax there Ben, I went the true fighters road and fought the best at every turn, I came up short often, but I gave it my all every time and never quit or hide from the challenge like some,” he said.
Ben Askren then responded once more:
“Are you trolling me? Because there is no way you actually believe this right?”
What do you think of this heated back and forth between Ben Askren and Artem Lobov?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 1/29/2019.