Artem Lobov vs Paulie Malignaggi BKFC Odds & Pick
- Lobov vs Malignaggi goes down Saturday, June 22nd at 8:00 p.m. ET
- Can Artem Lobov score the biggest win of his combat sports career?
- Can former boxing champion Malignaggi notch a victory in his bare knuckle debut?
Lobov vs Malignaggi is the main event for BKFC 6 on Saturday, June 22nd. The bare knuckle boxing event goes at the Florida State Fairgrounds Expo Hall in Tampa.
Malignaggi and Lobov have had to be pulled apart from one another during multiple media appearances in the lead up to this fight. Slaps and spitting metastasizing the negative feelings that had already existed between the two. The odds for this fight and my prediction can be found below.
Artem Lobov vs Paulie Malignaggi Odds
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Artem Lobov | +220 |
| Paulie Malignaggi | -280 |
Odds taken 06/09/19.
The Professional Boxing pedigree of Malignaggi is difficult to ignore here, despite the layoff. Paulie last competed in the sweet science in March 2017, and had since retired to take on more analyst gigs for Showtime. This Lobov bout is his return to fighting and it has the intriguing facet of “what happens when a champion-caliber boxer competes in bare knuckle boxing?”
Artem Lobov is on the heels of a spectacular performance against Jason Knight. Lobov secured the victory over the UFC veteran in a visceral, high octane fight of the year candidate. This Lobov vs Malignaggi bout is happening at the exact right time and there’s a perfect storm of factors at play.
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Lobov vs Malignaggi is the biggest BKB fight in the last century. It harkens back to the days of Broughton’s rules when men like John L. Sullivan ruled with an iron fist. Bare knuckle boxing has been rising in popularity on a domestic level in recent years and BKFC 6 Lobov vs Malignaggi is unequivocally at the peak of that rise.
Lobov vs Malignaggi Tale of the Tape
| 14-15-1 (MMA) 1-0 (BKB) |
Record | 36-8 (Boxing) 0-0 (BKB) |
| 4 | Knockouts | 7 |
| Jason Knight Teruto Ishihara |
Significant win(s) | Zab Judah Juan Diaz |
| N/A | Notable titles/ distinctions | IBF light welterweight title WBO–NABO light welterweight title WBA welterweight title NABF welterweight title |
The bad blood runs deep with Lobov vs Malignaggi dating back to the Mayweather-McGregor build up where McGregor (Lobov’s main sparring partner) released sparring pictures indicating he drubbed Paulie. There’s a well defined narrative heading into this one with Malignaggi indicating he wants to put Lobov in a coma and eventually secure a McGregor fight.
Malignaggi’s style could lend itself quite well to a bare-knuckle setting. Malignaggi was never much of a knockout artist in boxing but his shot selection and technical skills got him far. Malignaggi’s style could lead to various cuts forming all throughout Lobov’s face.
Artem is durable and has an unassailably solid spirit but I don’t think that’s enough here. I have Malignaggi winning his debut in the world of bare knuckle boxing.
Pick: Paulie Malignaggi (-280)
A part-time writer and full-time broadcaster, Dylan has hosted MMA talk shows Lights Out and Pure Fight Radio with featured guests like Jens Pulver, Roy Nelson, Miesha Tate, and covered some of the biggest MMA promotions like Rumble in the Cage, Unified MMA, and King of the Cage.
