Lobov oustrikes Ishihara for unanimous decision win

Artem Lobov did his adopted homeland proud on Saturday.

"The Russian Hammer" beat Teruto Ishihara to the punch through three rounds for a sweep of the scorecards in their featherweight bout at UFC Fight Night 99 in Belfast. Lobov - an SBG Ireland member and teammate of Conor McGregor's - confidently took the fight to "Yashabo," primarily scoring points with leg kicks and his lead right uppercut to earn his second straight victory.

Related - Watch: McGregor enters cage to celebrate teammate's win in Belfast

Lobov's respect for Ishihara's lethal counter left made for a tentative first round, but the southpaw would settle into a groove by the end of Round 2. He stalked the Japan native against the cage before uncorking a flurry of punches that were ultimately foiled by the frame-ending horn.

The boisterous Ishihara looked uncharacteristically listless until the third round, when Lobov granted him the opening he'd been seeking to land a counter left to the button. The blow put the Russian on his back, but the few ensuing moments "Yashabo" spent in Lobov's guard yielded little of consequence.

The knockdown would be the extent of Ishihara's offense, as the previous two rounds saw him do little more than sloppily shoot for takedowns and grin at whatever Lobov hit him with. The uninspiring performance cost him a two-year, four-fight unbeaten streak.

Ishihara's UFC record now stands at 2-1-1.