It's all gone a bit Godfather in the UFC's featherweight division as Artem Lobov may have made Gray Maynard an offer that he simply can't refuse.
Former lightweight title challenger Maynard suffered his first setback since dropping to 145 lbs by losing a unanimous decision to Ryan Hall at the Ultimate Fighter 24 finale in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Maynard, who very much comes from the old school wrestling-striking approach to the fight game was left massively frustrated by the Canadian BJJ black-belt's antics inside the Octagon. Hall played to his strengths, alternating between kicking from distance and dropping to the mat in an effort to lure his opponent into a grappling exchange.
The Bully did not want anything to do with Hall on the ground and refused to follow him down there and try to work his ground and pound. At one point during the fight, Maynard let Hall know exactly what he thought of his unusual tactics by flipping him the bird shortly after he flopped to the mat.
After the final buzzer sounded, the judges scored the fight 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 in favour of Hall, but Maynard was far from happy about how the bout played out.
https://twitter.com/ryanhall5050/status/805525440865583104
https://twitter.com/GrayMaynard/status/805527530560028672
https://twitter.com/GrayMaynard/status/805508039016988672
https://twitter.com/GrayMaynard/status/805604006143795200
The perfect antithesis to Hall's technical, tactically savvy style would be a traditional brawl against a competitor who's willing to stand and bang. Fortunately for Maynard, there's a certain fighter by the name of Artem Lobov who's up for that task.
SBG's Lobov is known for his penchant for keeping things on the feet and he's looking for a quick turnaround following his unanimous decision win over Teruto Ishihara in Belfast. He also has a loss to Hall on his record, having been completely dominated by the Tri-Star prospect in his promotional debut.
The Russian Hammer hit Maynard up on Twitter to let him know exactly who the "real fight" is.
https://twitter.com/RusHammerMMA/status/805815836241956865
