Artem Lobov beats Paulie Malignaggi in bloody bare knuckle brawl
- The two squared-off in Tampa, Florida grudge match
- Lobov is part of Conor McGregor’s fight team
Artem Lobov defeated Paulie Malignaggi on points in the main event at Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 7 in Tampa, Florida on Saturday night.
Lobov, 32, won his second straight BKFC bout, while Malignaggi was making his debut.
An uneventful contest was decided on the scorecards after five cautious rounds. Predictably, Malignaggi was keen to fight the contest at range, utilising his superior boxing skills, while Lobov stayed out arm’s reach and waded in with occasional sorties to the inside.
The Brooklyn fighter, 38, said after the fight that his short BKFC career was over.
There was bad blood between the two fighters in the build-up to the clash. Lobov is primarily a mixed martial arts fighter, who fights out of Conor McGregor’s SBG Ireland gym in Dublin and there is no love lost between Malignaggi and the former UFC champion.
Malignaggi was 36-8 in his professional boxing career and fought in 10 world title fights before retiring in 2017.