Artem Lobov Says That He Was Asked Not To Touch Paulie Malignaggi Prior To Their Scuffle

Artem Lobov and Paulie Malignaggi were involved in a brief scuffle at the the Bare Knuckle Boxing Championship 5 media event.

Prior to the scuffle, an angry Lobov was asked to not touch Malignaggi by BKFC President David Feldman.

“(BKFC President David Feldman) begged me not to touch him. He said, ‘Please don’t lay a hand on him. We need him for the fights,’” Lobov said to MMA Junkie. “I said, ‘Look, no problem, David. You’ve got my word.’ (Malignaggi) was saying the same thing. ‘We’re not going to touch,’ and then he got a little cheap shot in. I don’t know. I just kick him right in the (expletive) chest to let him know what’s up. He’s here when the crowd is around us, but let’s be honest. If this was just a fight, what do you think would have happened with this guy. I would have been stomping on his head in seconds. I’m not a guy to wrestle much in my fights, but I know where my advantages lay when I square up against him. I would just double-leg him and kick him in the (expletive) face. That’s it.”

Lobov makes his BKFC debut this weekend at the BKFC 5 event, facing fellow UFC veteran Jason Knight.

A win at BKFC 5 could put Lobov in line for a fight against Malignaggi, who is someone that Lobov isn’t very impressed with.

“He was shouting all this, but let’s be real,” Lobov said. “Let’s have a look at his record when he was in his prime. Did he ever put guys away? Hell no. He was a decision fighter. Any time he faced anybody that could box, he was always a decision – jab, jab, jab. C’mon, you’re not going to scare anybody with this, and you certainly ain’t going to scare me with that.”

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 5 takes place on Saturday, April 6 from the Mississippi Coast Coliseum & Convention Center in Biloxi, Mississippi with Artem Lobov and Jason Knight headlining.