Video: Behind the scenes on 'The Night Artem Beat Paulie'
On a packed weekend for fans of professional pugilism, the bare-knuckle clash of combat cultures between former boxing champion Paulie Malignaggi and former UFC fighter Artem Lobov at Bare Knuckle FC 6 captured the imagination.
And when Lobov defeated Malignaggi via unanimous decision after a typically bruising bare-knuckle encounter, social media was awash with fans and fighters paying tribute to the Ireland-based Russian who has been playfully dubbed “The GOAT” for his “any time, any place, anywhere” attitude on fighting.
Conor McGregor’s website, The Mac Life, had special access to Lobov throughout the weekend, and on Monday shared their behind-the-scenes footage on fight night, as their cameras followed Lobov from his dressing room to the ring and back again on a whirlwind night for the 32-year-old.
There are some great nuggets in there, too.
There’s the calm before the storm, as the cool-as-a-cucumber Lobov paces the floor of his dressing room. Then there’s the surprise appearance of Lobov’s last opponent, Jason Knight, who gave Lobov an impromptu pep talk in the dressing room before walking alongside him and offering more words of support – and a fist bump for good measure – as Lobov made his walk towards the arena floor.
We even got some post-fight reaction, courtesy of Anthony Johnson, whose considerable presence at the pre-fight press conference assured us all there would be no repeat of the Malignaggi spitting incident earlier in the build-up.
And then, after the dust had settled on a crazy night in Tampa, Lobov reflected on his achievements in a sport that has tested his renowned toughness to the limit.
“It’s a tough game, this bare-knuckle,” he said. “I tell you what. It’s 10 minutes, but my god, it’s rough in there.”
You can watch everything in the video above.
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