Artem Lobov (photo via UFC)

By FCF Staff

The fact that Artem Lobov carries a sub .500 record has been the focus of his critics, but the Russian fighter say it represents the “tough road” he’s taken.

Lobov is booked to fight Alex Cacares at UFC 223 on April 7th. As the bout approaches, Lobov is carrying a 13-14-1 record as a pro. Recently the featherweight was a guest on MMA Junkie.com Radio, and Lobov had this to say about his resume (quote via MMA Junkie):

“My record, for example, it represents a tough road. It represents a guy that was willing to fight when no one else would. When you ask to go to some other country and fight their local best guy, and you know the judges are going to be his friend and the referee is going to be his coach, the head of commission guys is probably going to be his relative or something like that, and you’re asked to do that for 100 Euros.

“Nobody wants to do that. There was only one guy that was willing to answer the call every time, and that was me, so my record represents that – a true fighter, a real fighter.”

Lobov, who is teammate of Conor McGregor, is coming off a decision loss to Andre Fili in Octoiber. The TUF vet has gone 2-4 in official UFC bouts.