ArtemLobov, who was originally scheduled to face
ZubairaTukhugov later this month at UFC Moncton, may have a newopponent in
MichaelJohnson.
ESPN’s Ariel Helwani announced the pendingmatchup on Sunday, but noted that Johnson had not yet signed thebout agreement.
Tukhugov was removed from the bout for his involvement in thepost-fight brawl at UFC 229, where he was captured on cameraentering the Octagon and attacking McGregor.
Ultimate Fighting Championship President DanaWhite stated in the immediate aftermath of the brawl that any UFCroster fighters who were found to have entered the Octagon would becut.
The UFC’s action spurred Tukhugov’s teammate,
KhabibNurmagomedov, to threaten to walk out on his UFC contract,pointing out the apparent double standard of the UFC’s lenientstance on McGregor and Lobov when the Irishman attacked the busNurmagomedov was on back in April ahead of his fight at UFC223.
Johnson broke a three-fight losing streak in August when he beat
AndreFili via split decision. “The Menace” will certainly provide astern test for Lobov, as he has victories over three current top-10lightweights including
DustinPoirier and
EdsonBarboza and is the only fighter to have beaten
TonyFerguson inside the Octagon.
Lobov has lost two straight, most recently a unanimous decision toFili back in October 2017. “The Greatest of All-Time” had beenscheduled to face
AlexCaceres at UFC 223 in April, but that fight was pulled due toLobov’s involvement in the bus attack.
Lobov versus Johnson will be the co-main event in Moncton on Oct.27as part of UFC Fight Night 138 which will be headlined by lightheavyweight contenders
VolkanOezdemir and
AnthonySmith.
