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UFC Fight Night 135's Artem Lobov: Eryk Anders deserves his due respect

Eryk Anders' rise  has been spectacular, but Artem Lobov thinks the former AlabamaCrimson Tide football star’s body of work on the martial arts side has been overlooked. 

Anders (10-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC), a former Ultimate Fighter winner, is currently in a battle of wits with Lobov (13-14-1 MMA, 2-4 UFC) on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 135, which takes place at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb.  Lobov fights Alex Caceres in the FS1-televised prelim.

But as usual, the 30-year-old Russian lightweight made it clear he’s more focused on the sum of his parts. That could mean Lobov is a worthy opponent for Anders if he gets past Caceres, and if not, Lobov believes it’s not just the Octagon in which Anders must prove himself.

“You never know who you're going to have to fight,” Lobov told MMAjunkie Radio. “I think you just have to keep fighting and fighting the best guys, and hopefully the stars align. I think that's how it has to be. There are a lot of great guys fighting in the UFC.”

Lobov, who has fought 10 times in the UFC, has endured some hard times in recent years. Lobov was suspended for two years after testing positive for a banned substance in his UFC Fight Night 104 bout with Andre Fili. Lobov never found out the extent of his suspension, which was ultimately reduced to a year.