BKFC6: Artem Lobov claims unanimous decision win over Paulie Malignaggi

Artem Lobov claimed the unanimous decision over bitter rival Paulie Malignaggi at Bare Knuckle FC 6 as he improved his record to 2-0 in the organisation.

Former boxing champion Malignaggi, on his bare knuckle debut, couldn't get into a rhythm with the Russian spoiling his efforts on several occasions and claimed to have broke his hand after the fight.

He moved nicely behind his jab but Lobov was the aggressor down the back end of the fight which was enough for the judges to award the fight to the former UFC fighter.

Malignaggi, who has had issues with broken hands in the past moved nicely behind his jab, but Lobov — a former UFC fighter — maintained his aggression and finished strongly to win over the judges.

You know to me, there is many people out there that talk a lot of s*** and then they don’t show up,” Lobov said post-fight.

“Paulie, he shows up. You can like him or hate him, but in terms of being a fighter, he showed up that time to spar ... and he showed up tonight to fight. So, I will always respect a fighter for that.”

Despite being on the wrong end of the scorecard, Maliganggi was adamant he won the fight.

And he made it clear this was his first and last appearance in the BKFC organisation.

“I’m 38 years old,” he said.

“I’m too old to start campaigning off of a loss. I would have done this again. I would have considered coming back ... I thought I was winning pretty easily.”

Both fighters have traded insults for months in a bitter feud that dates back to Malignaggi’s sparring session with Conor McGregor in 2017.