Former UFC fighter Artem Lobov’s bare knuckle boxing debut in the United States has been announced.
Lobov will make his Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) debut when he takes on fellow UFC alum Jason Knight in the main event of a pay-per-view card in Biloxi, Mississippi. The event, titled “BKFC 5: Lobov vs. Knight,” will take place on April 6 at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. Lobov’s original debut was supposed to be April 20, but it was now changed to April 6.
The 32-year-old Lobov sports a 13-15-2 pro MMA record and was a finalist on The Ultimate Fighter 22. Lobov’s tenure in the UFC ended back in January and was on a three-fight losing streak, suffering defeats at the hands of Michael Johnson, Andre Fili and Cub Swanson.
Knight also spent years fighting in the UFC, but like with Lobov, his UFC career ended with a lengthy losing streak. During his time with the UFC, Knight picked up three post-fight bonuses, including two “Performance of the Night” honors.
Also on the card is a light heavyweight bout between former UFC veteran Chris Leben and former Bellator fighter Justin Baesman. Chase Sherman will take on Sam Shewmaker, who has fought in every BKFC event so far, in a heavyweight attraction and Marcel Stamps will also face long-time professional boxer Martin Verdin in a light heavyweight fight.
BKFC recently did an event in Mexico featuring Julian Lane and Leonard Garcia in the main event. You can read a recap of that show, which also had Bec Rawlings, Joey Beltran and Joe Riggs competing in separate fights, at this link.
