Artem Lobov on Paulie Malignaggi: He’s 'Coming Off a Couch' For a Money Fight at BKFC 6

The Bareknuckle Fighting Championship returns this Saturday for its sixth event, featuring a grudge match between former UFC fighter Artem Lobov and former world boxing WBA welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi. The event is set to take place live on Fite.TV at the Florida State Fairgrounds Expo Hall in Tampa Bay, Florida.

The bad blood for the much-anticipated fight has been brewing for some time stemming back to the falling about between Lobov’s team-mate Conor McGregor who brought in Malignaggi to help him train for his boxing match with Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

Lobov and Malignaggi have clashed several times since then including a physical altercation at Lobov’s debut press conference during the BKFC media day before his bout with Jason Knight in early April, as well as a recent press conference where Malignaggi spat at the former UFC fighter.

BKFC 6 shapes up to be the promotion’s biggest event in its short history and the hype around the main-event has hit fever pitch on social media.

At yesterday’s final BKFC 6 presser (via MMA Junkie), Lobov said he’s ready to shut Malignaggi up and put a beating on him on Saturday night:

“Listen guys, the talk is over for me. I just wanna get this man in there on Saturday night and show the world what happens when you run your f---ing mouth like he did.”

Lobov suggested Malignaggi’s motives are purely for money and suggested his opponent was “coming off the couch” to take the fight as he was probably broke.

“You know he’s coming off a couch, this guy is only here for the money. We all know it. This is, once again like I said, the sad truth of boxing. Could happen to any one of us. 1-5 boxer retires from brain damage and they’re all broke. This is just the sad truth of combat sports. Unfortunately, this happened to Paulie.

“So, unfortunately, he is here having to do that. But you know, what are you going to do? Saturday night, he’s going to make a nice paycheck, I’m going to make two holes in his head, and we’re gonna go home happy.”