Lobov on Sparring McGregor for UFC 196: "It Wasn't as Pleasant This Time"

Artem Lobov has the unenviable task of being the primary sparring partner to one of the most powerful strikers in mixed martial arts, 'The Notorious' Conor McGregor.

'The Russian Hammer' has played a central role in the Irishman's preparations for each of his UFC bouts, but this time around, Lobov has claimed that he had his work cut out for him more than ever.

Lobov, a man who plies his trade between the featherweight and lightweight divisions for the most part, has had to deal with a stronger and more energetic version of the featherweight champion than ever as he approaches his welterweight debut against Nate Diaz tomorrow night at the MGM Grand.

"Normally, I actually look forward to his cut because I know that he's going to have less energy and he's not going to be as strong, so usually this is my time to get one up on him and, at least, do a little bit better in training.

"Whereas this time, I didn't really get a chance to experience that because of anything he's gotten bigger and stronger as the days went on. It wasn't as pleasant for me this time," he laughed.

It is widely anticipated that we will see the most powerful version of McGregor we have ever seen when he meets the Stockton native in the Octagon, but according to Lobov, the devastating stopping force of his SBG teammate has nothing to do with his weight.

The charismatic Russian believes that McGregor would still have the same power even if he somehow managed to drop down as far as 135 lbs.

"That's one thing we all know he has," said Lobov when asked about McGregor's stopping power.

"That power, I don't know where it comes from, it doesn't come from the extra weight, he just has it. I'm sure you've seen those videos where he beats Jon Jones and all those other guys on the boxing machine, so he always had that. He hits like a heavyweight. Even if you made him cut to bantamweight he'd still have that power. He had it, he has it, he will always have it."

Lobov believes that Diaz is the perfect opponent for McGregor to showcase his ever-growing arsenal against. The featherweight champion looked more explosive and spectacular than ever when he appeared at the open workouts on Wednesday, and 'The Russian Hammer' believes we will witness the most creative version of the 'The Notorious' when he puts his techniques up against one of the infamous ambassadors of 'The Stockton Slap.'

He explained: "The Nate Diaz fight is one we've talked about for a long time because Conor will get to show what he can do against him. He'll have a lot more flair in this fight. Nate has a that will give him an opportunity to showcase all of his skills.

"Nate is more of a boxer. He throws a lot of hands, he trades shots and that's just perfect for Conor. To be honest, it's hard to imagine what Nate can do. He hasn't got great wrestling in terms of offence, so he can't really take this to the ground. He has a very aggressive guard, but he has got to get into those positions first. It's hard to see how he wins this."

Many people have cited Diaz's long range as one of the most obvious obstacles that McGregor will have to overcome when they finally meet. However, Lobov explained that the Dubliner has a vast variety of larger training partners that he spars with on a regular basis.

Based on how Lobov has seen McGregor get on during them sparring sessions, he believes he will have no difficulty at all with Diaz's two-inch reach advantage.

"I honestly don't think it's going to be a factor. I've seen Conor spar with middleweights like Chris Fields, he's as rangy as they come. Back in the day, we didn't have that many guys so you ended up sparring everyone and he always did really well against those bigger guys. This isn't definitely isn't going to be an issue," he said.

Finally, Lobov gave his prediction for the main event showdown. As far as he is concerned, and despite having an awful lot of respect for Diaz, 'The Russian Hammer' is confident that it will be the beginning of the end for McGregor's counterpart as soon as he gets hit. For that reason, he can't see Diaz making it out of the first round.

"I struggle to see Nate making it out of the first round. He's a tough guy, he always comes to fight, but I just see him coming out aggressive as he always does. He's going to get hit, he's going to go on the back foot and that will be the end of it."