Artem Lobov is one tough motherfucker
In his 11th professional fight, Artem Lobov faced Artur Sowinski at Celtic Gladiator 5 in Dublin’s Citywest Hotel back in 2012. ‘The Russian Hammer’ initially scored a unanimous decision victory over the Polish fighter after three hard-fought rounds. However, the result was overturned to a ‘No Contest’ after Sowinski’s team lodged an official complaint regarding the judging of the fight.
This was the wild west days of Irish MMA. The event was labelled a ‘disaster’ in a statement from SBG Ireland. There was no water for fighters, no handwrap checks and no cutmen. A judge withdrew from the original panel one hour before the show started, which the promoter cited as a factor in a judge who trained at SBG being assigned as the replacement.
Of course, there was no SAFE MMA either. If the organisation existed back then, there was no way in hell Lobov would have continued fighting with the horror wound he suffered during the fight.
“I need to go to the hospital.”
Lobov spoke almost fondly about the fight in a recent episode of Paddy Holohan’s No Shame podcast. This is despite the fact that the gash that opened up on his head could have killed him.
“The funny thing about that was the cut on the top of my head, it happened to be on my artery and I didn’t really know because the medical personnel back in those days wasn’t at the level it is today. There was no SAFE MMA or anything. It was just whatever. Whoever had a medical kit, you were the doctor. Things, obviously, have changed now. Those were the crazy times back in the day.”
No one told him otherwise, so Lobov assumed he was fine. It was only when he started sipping on a celebratory pint that he knew something was wrong.
“They didn’t tell me how serious it was. (They said) ‘Oh yeah, sure. Just keep a bit of pressure on it and you’ll be fine.’ I remember I went for a pint after the fight and then I started getting dizzy! I remember thinking, ‘This is not right. I need to go to the hospital.'”
“Not only did I get a few stitches, I got a facelift”
Off to the hospital he went. To his surprise, he didn’t have to join the end of the queue. Such was the severity of his issue that he was allowed to skip it straight away.
“And when I got to the hospital, this was Saturday night, normally you’d be stuck in the queue for a long time, but as soon as the doctors saw what I had, I was straight in. I remember because it was on the artery, he had to put so much pressure, he was like tying it. I could feel my face lift towards it. So not only did I get a few stitches, I got a facelift.”
“The doctors said to me, another hour and it would have been very, very touch and go.”
Had Lobov not drank that post-fight pint, we shudder to think what might have happened.
Maybe Guinness is good for you after all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sl0_rzC8hh0
Image credits: mmanewspl
