This past weekend at Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 6, Artem Lobov pulled off an upset that left many a viewer stunned and speechless when he defeated Paulie Malignaggi in a bare-knuckle boxing match. One notable person who seems fit this description is “The Notorious” Conor McGregor, who indirectly caused this fight to materialize due to his feud with Malignaggi and his close friendship with Artem Lobov.
After Lobov’s hand was raised after weeks of disrespect, trash talk, slapping, and spitting leading up to the fight, Lobov has remained humble in victory and McGregor has remained quiet about the fight. And while Conor McGregor has not shared his thoughts on social media, he did share them with Artem Lobov, whom McGregor believes shined in his victory (Transcript via MMA Fighting):
“I spoke to Conor. He said that was a good performance. I dominated the fight. I pressed the action all the time and he said it was a very good performance and a great win for me,” Lobov said on Monday’s installment of The MMA Hour.
What began as a feud between Conor McGregor and Paulie Malignaggi later transitioned to a fight that carried some authentic bad blood of its own. So congratulations and pats on the back from Conor McGregor are reaffirming to Lobov, but nothing can replace getting a win in a bout that Lobov felt he needed to win:
“To me, a fight is a fight, I just want to win it no matter what, but this one of course was a lot more personal,” Lobov told the MMA Hour on Monday. “This was an emotional build-up and a win was a must here. So it was a very important win. It was definitely not my favorite performance, definitely not my best performance or most exciting fighting but it was a must win.
“I couldn’t have lost here. No way and I didn’t and I brought the win home and that’s the only thing that matters now.”
Do you agree with Conor McGregor’s assessment of Artem Lobov’s performance at BKFC 6?
