Artem Lobov and Paulie Malignaggi had to be separated Tuesday, April, 2 at a media event after they got into a spat after threatening each other at the event in New York.
The two men came face to face and it appeared that Malignaggi slapped Lobov in the face. The two fighters had to be pulled apart, Malignaggi was dragged away by Anthony Johnson, the former UFC slugger and current BKFC employee.
Lobov told MMA Fighting just minutes after the altercation that he was asked by Bare Knuckle FC promoter Dave Feldman to not get physical with Malignaggi present. Lobov said he gave his word.
Then when they came face to face, Lobov said Malignaggi even said “no hands” repeatedly. (WATCH CLOSE UP VIDEO ON NEXT PAGE TO SEE HOW AND WHAT REALLY HAPPENED)
“He himself was saying, no, no, no,” Lobov said in a phone interview. “And then he just got a little cheap shot in. That’s the only way he can f*cking get hands on me, a cheap shot. But whatever. F*ck it. Does he think that’s gonna upset me? I’m a f*cking fighter. I walk through head kicks, you think I’m gonna give a f*ck about that? Whatever, brush it off, move on. Let’s go, let’s see what you got when we actually square off in the ring.”
Lobov was famously slapped by Khabib Nurmagomedov in April 2018 before UFC 223, prompting Lobov’s close friend and longtime teammate Conor McGregor to fly from Ireland to Brooklyn with dozens of men in an attempt to engage with Nurmagomedov. McGregor ended up getting arrested for throwing a dolly through a bus window in a now infamous scene.
Lobov said he doesn’t expect anything like that to happen to Malignaggi. The two are expected to fight for Bare Knuckle FC in
“I need Paulie,” Lobov said. “I need him wrapped up in bubble wrap. I need him there on June 22, that’s when the provisional date has been set. That’s when I need him. That’s when we get to go at it. Then, we’ll see what happens.”
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