While it wasn’t Artem Lobov’s night at UFC Nashville, it’s fair to say the Russian Hammer can hold his head high.

The featherweight from SBG faced number #4 ranked Cub Swanson, and while he came away on the losing end of a judges decision, most viewers applauded his effort. Showing off his durability, Lobov claimed the first round on two of three score cards, and fared far better than his non-ranking would suggest.

There had been a few harsh words back and forth in the build-up to the bout, but those were left behind in the cage, with Swanson applauding Lobov’s performance in his post-fight interview.

“At the end of the day when you go to war with guys in here, you cherish that,” Swanson said post-fight. “I knew he was going to step up to the plate, and it was a hell of a fight.”

For Lobov, while he may be disappointed, he was met with plenty of praise from his SBG teammates, with Conor McGregor and coach John Kavanagh taking to social media to share their pride.

That was a great fight. Proud of my brother Artem! What a ride it's been for the Russian Hammer. In a career filled with ups and downs he has never backed down from anything. Nothing but love and respect always my brother ❤

A post shared by Conor McGregor Official (@thenotoriousmma) on Apr 22, 2017 at 10:23pm PDT

In the end we only regret the chances we didn’t take, the relationships we were afraid to have,and the decisions we waited too long to make.

— Coach Kavanagh (@John_Kavanagh) April 23, 2017

fantastic effort from @RusHammerMMA , we're all very proud of you back home. great job in corner by @rowdyowenroddy and @richie_smullen

— Coach Kavanagh (@John_Kavanagh) April 23, 2017

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