Paulie Malignaggi v Artem Lobov set for New Hampshire event
It seems official. Artem Lobov v Paulie Malignaggi is set for New Hampshire, June 22. Bare Knuckle FC president, David Feldman, confirmed this to MMAFighting.com on Thursday.
The pair have gone back and forth over the last few months, with the rivalry being bred from Malignaggi's stint as Conor McGregor's sparring partner for the Floyd Mayweather bout. Lobov, who is a close friend of Conor McGregor, did not take kindly to the way Paulie handled himself after the dishonourable discharge from McGregor's fight camp.
Now, two years on, the pair see themselves fighting under the same promotion. Artem Lobov and Paulie Malignaggi most recently had a run in at the Bare Knuckle Fighting media day, days before his bout with Jason Knight.
See the video below for footage of the scuffle:
Credit: MMAFightingonSBN (YouTube)
Artem Lobov was victorious over Jason Knight in a bloodbath of a fight. The condition had been set prior that Artem would get a shot at Malignaggi on the basis he defeated Knight at BKFC5.
This fight promises to create fireworks. The pair have continued to exchange barbs about one another, with the latest coming from Paulie on the MMA Hour with Luke Thomas.
''I'm gonna use his face like a dartboard.''.... ''It's about how hard I can hurt this guy.'' he said.
Paulie Malignaggi was a prolific boxer in his prime, being a former two-division boxing world champion. However, having seen the damage inflicted on both Artem Lobov and Jason Knight at BKFC5, is Paulie out of his depth in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship?