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What's the story?
CM Punk's last opponent in the Octagon, Mike 'The Truth' Jackson told MMA Junkie Radio that he wants to fight Conor McGregor's training partner and good friend Artem Lobov next.
However, despite Lobov's inclination to accept the fight, it would seem that UFC President Dana White is the one who isn't keen on pitting the two against each other in the Octagon.
In case you didn't know...
Mike 'The Truth' Jackson was the recipient of widespread criticism following what many perceived to be a lackluster showing against the former pro wrestler.
Although Jackson easily dispatched of Punk in a lopsided decision victory at UFC 225, his apparent lack of urgency in trying to finish the fight against an overmatched opponent didn't sit well with Dana White, who swore after the fight that Jackson will never fight in the UFC again.
The heart of the matter
Jackson, however, hasn't given up hope of fighting in the UFC again and has gone on to publicly defend his performance against CM Punk.
I sent the dude to the hospital. It was 30-26 on all scorecards. People called it a bad fight. I went back and watched the fight, even without commentary, and I was like, ‘This wasn’t a bad fight.’
Now, there are some things I would have done a little differently, but the overall game plan would have been the same. All the people hating, they’ve got to stop.
What's next?
Jackson may extol his side of the fight as much as he wants, but unless he can get enough hype generated for a potential bout with Artem Lobov, it would seem that Dana White isn't open to the idea of having the journalist fight in the Octagon again.
Lobov, who is 2-4 in his UFC career, is famed for his ability to take punishment and his free-flowing fighting style. And even if White does eventually give the green signal for a fight between him and Jackson, there is a very real possibility that Lobov may completely outmatch him in terms of skill.
And that is another pickle the UFC don't want to land themselves in, especially seeing as how the CM Punk experiment turned out for them.
