Ahead of tonight’s BKFC 6, headliners Artem Lobov and Paulie Malignaggi faced off — a much more disciplined affair than prior encounters between the two.
Points for good behavior, perhaps. The weigh-in for Bare Knuckle FC 6 on Friday brought with it a face-off between Artem Lobov and Paulie Malignaggi. And unlike past occurrences, the pair managed to control themselves. In the past, incidents — mainly instigated by Malignaggi, who both slapped and spat on Lobov on separate occasions — tarnished the hype surrounding the upcoming grudge match. Unless of course you’re into a grown man spitting on someone.
However, Friday’s weigh-in saw the pair simply trash talk a little, with both refusing to be the first to look away during the face-off. Fair enough.
Of course, since nothing can ever be simple with this bare knuckle boxing match, a fan then decided to try to goad Lobov into a confrontation. Lobov answered with a middle finger and some obscenities, while Malignaggi of all people attempted to get the fan to calm down.
BKFC 6, featuring familiar names like Chris Leben and Joey Beltran, kicks off tonight at 8PM ET. The main event, of course, is a grudge match between Malignaggi, a one-time sparring partner of Conor McGregor, and Lobov, McGregor’s longtime friend and training partner. While the bout seems to be Malignaggi’s attempt to lure McGregor into a future boxing match, it’s unlikely to be more than a one-off spectacle. However, based on Lobov’s past bare knuckle outing, and Malignaggi’s skill as a boxer, it should at least be entertaining.
The card airs live on PPV and Fite.tv online.
BKFC 6 Full Card:
Paulie Malignaggi vs. Artem Lobov
Chris Leben vs. Dakota Cochrane
Reginald Barnett Jr vs. Johnny Bedford
Joey Beltran vs. Jamie Campbell
Tom Shoaff vs. Julian Lane
Abdiel Velazquez vs. Travis Thompson
Elvin Leon Brito vs. Jim Alers
