Sean Sheehan 
The fight Artem Lobov has been looking for has finally been granted to him. The Russian-born Irishman will take on veteran Cub Swanson on April 22nd in Nashville. The bout will act as the card’s headliner and will be fought out over five rounds. The UFC announced the news on the UFC 208 broadcast Saturday night.
Fighting out of the famed Jackson Winkeljohn academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico Swanson has been a mainstay in the featherweight top-10 for some time. The American has wins over the likes of Dustin Poirier, Charles Oliveira and, most recently, Doo Ho Choi.
For SBG Ireland’s Lobov, this will be the toughest fight and biggest opportunity of his career. Entering the UFC with a 11-10-1(1) record, Lobov has gone 2-2 inside the Octagon. A loss to Ryan Hall in the TUF Finale was followed by another against Alex White but Lobov now has consecutive victories over Chris Avila and Teruto Ishihara.
