With Artem Lobov looking to enter the world of boxing in 2021, he wants to secure the bag before calling it quits.
Lobov is set to make his MMA return on Dec. 12 when he faces Ylies Djiroun for the lightweight title in the main event of ARENA FIGHT 2, but is looking to dabble in yet another combat sport next year.
The UFC veteran, who recently made the transition to bare-knuckle boxing, picked up two high-profile wins over Jason Knight and Pauli Malignaggi during his tenure there.
But throughout all his experiences immersing in different combat sports, Lobov sees boxing as the route to the biggest paydays.
“I’m only going to be fighting for two more years and I would like to secure a good future for my family,” Lobov told MMA Junkie Radio. “I’ve been getting six figures for quite some time now, and life is good on six figures. But if you want to secure a good future for the family, you have to be hitting those seven-figure paydays, and I feel the easiest way to do it, if not the only way to do it, is through boxing.
“So I had some interesting proposals at the start of 2020, but corona(virus) (expletive) everything up for me. So I’m hoping to pick up right where I left off. And yes, I will be training MMA because it will make sure that I’m ready for any other combat sport. But yeah, I will definitely be looking toward boxing for sure.”
With YouTube sensation-turned-pro boxer Jake Paul calling out teammates Conor McGregor and Dillon Danis, Lobov is willing to answer the call if offered in what he sees as an easy payday.
“I have absolutely nothing to gain from beating that guy other than financial gains,” Lobov said. “So if they give me the paycheck that I’m happy with, I don’t care. I can whoop Jake Paul or his brother or whoever else in the family wants to get it. They can get it.”
Artem Lobov targets seven-figure paydays in boxing, happy to ‘whoop’ Jake Paul