Look: The Gruesome Eyebrow Cut that Forced Artem Lobov to Withdraw From His PFL Match
Professional Fighters League veteran Artem Lobov has withdrawn from his scheduled catchweight bout against Zubaira Tukhugov at PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai on October 3, after suffering what he described as a severe eyebrow laceration during training.
Artem Lobov’s Eyebrow Cut
The 38-year-old Russian-Irish fighter sustained the injury during a grappling session at his training camp on September 29. Lobov detailed the incident in an Instagram video, explaining that an accidental head clash while wrestling from the ground position opened a deep cut near his right eyebrow that immediately began bleeding profusely.
“We just had an accidental head clash. Soon as that happened I could see blood everywhere,” Lobov stated in his social media explanation. The injury was deemed too severe for competition after medical evaluation, with the attending physician ruling him unfit to fight upon examining the laceration.
The Nature of the Injury
The cut proved particularly problematic due to Lobov’s extensive history with facial injuries from his bare-knuckle fighting career. The veteran fighter blamed his previous participation in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship for exacerbating the current injury.
“This was most likely due to the fact that I have a lot of scars on my face from Bare Knuckle, and really, from all my fights. There are so many that my face tears very easily,” Lobov explained during a Russian media appearance.
Medical experts note that scar tissue from previous lacerations significantly weakens the structural integrity of facial skin. According to combat sports physicians, healed scar tissue reaches only 80% of its original tensile strength, with each subsequent injury further reducing that percentage. This makes fighters who have sustained multiple cuts in the same area particularly vulnerable to reopening wounds.
The Triangle-Shaped Laceration
Lobov described the injury as more than a simple cut, revealing it had a “triangle-shaped tear” that made medical clearance impossible. This type of laceration typically involves damage to multiple tissue layers, including the muscles responsible for eyebrow movement and facial expression.
Such injuries commonly affect the frontalis muscle, which controls eyebrow elevation, and the orbicularis oculi, which surrounds the eye socket. When these muscle fibers are severed, they require extensive internal suturing and significantly longer healing times.
Background to the Cancelled PFL Fight
The Lobov-Tukhugov matchup had been building for nearly seven years, stemming from the infamous McGregor-Nurmagomedov rivalry. The bout was originally scheduled for UFC Fight Night 138 in October 2018 but was cancelled after Tukhugov’s involvement in the post-fight brawl at UFC 229.
The rivalry traces back to April 2018, when Khabib Nurmagomedov confronted Lobov at UFC 223 fight week over comments made in a Russian interview. This confrontation prompted Conor McGregor to fly to New York and attack a bus carrying Nurmagomedov and other fighters, leading to multiple fight cancellations.
PFL had positioned this as one of the most anticipated grudge matches on their Dubai card, with both fighters carrying personal animosity spanning multiple years. The promotion has not announced whether they will attempt to reschedule the bout for a future event.
Impact on PFL Dubai Card
The withdrawal removes a significant attraction from PFL’s return to Dubai, which features two championship fights headlined by Usman Nurmagomedov defending his lightweight title against Paul Hughes in a rematch. The card will proceed with 11 remaining fights, including the co-main event between Corey Anderson and Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov for the light heavyweight championship.
This marks another setback in Lobov’s turbulent career, which has been marked by cancelled fights and legal disputes, including his ongoing lawsuit against former teammate Conor McGregor over whiskey brand profits. The veteran had been making his return to mixed martial arts after a four-year hiatus, with his last MMA bout occurring in 2018.
For Tukhugov, the cancellation means missing another opportunity to settle the long-standing feud. The Dagestani fighter remains without an opponent for the October 3 event, with PFL officials yet to announce whether they will seek a replacement fighter or remove him from the card entirely.
