Artem Lobov Believes Bare-Knuckle Boxing Is Safer Than MMA or Traditional Boxing

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship signee Artem Lobov made his bare-knuckle boxing debut this past weekend when he took on another former UFC fighter in Jason Knight at Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 5 in Biloxi, Mississippi.

“The Russian Hammer” and Knight delivered a fight-of-the-year performance putting everything on the line until the final bell rang with the judges awarding the win to Lobov via unanimous decision. Lobov and Knight have both been praised for their toughness and durability after the fight with images of their busted-up faces making the rounds on social media.

Despite the images, Lobov believes Bareknuckle boxing “is a lot safer” than boxing, MMA and American Football especially when it comes to long-term injuries such as brain damage. The injuries as he puts it will go away “in a week or two” and are cosmetic compared to serious injuries like brain damage, which is permanent.

As it stands, only a handful of US states have sanctioned bare-knuckle boxing and Lobov believes there’s a stigma attached to the sport due to the amount of visible damage suffered from fighters after a bout.

The 32-year-old was a guest on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show yesterday and said he hopes that more athletic commissions -- most notably the Nevada State Athletic Commission -- look at the facts when determining if the sport gets approval.

“It should be accepted everywhere” Lobov said. “I hope the Nevada State Athletic Commission looks at this and finally legalises this in Vegas.”

“Let’s look at the facts here, let’s not make any stupid mistakes. Look at the facts, look at the research, look at what the neurosurgeons are saying and based on that they should be making a decision.”