BKFC: Malignaggi vs Lobov

BKFC: Malignaggi vs Lobov

To be a success in the public domain you need a hook, something the paying public can grab hold of, they need to care to watch, or more accurately in this current climate, to buy.

On the same night that the UFC and Bellator give us their latest presentation, a relatively new kid on the block is doing it’s best to take the attention away from two of the major players in combat sports.

Bare Knuckle FC will later host the sixth incarnation of its fledgling product with a hook that seems to be working, at least in the short-term.

Former UFC fighter Artem Lobov fights bitter rival the former world boxing champion Paulie Malignaggi in Tampa, Florida.

There is little doubt that Lobov is the hook for Malignaggi, hoping that a certain Conor McGregor will grab, he won’t, but Malignaggi doesn’t look like giving up anytime soon.

With practically no buzz around the UFC card in South Carolina and Bellator in another time zone in London, BKFC have the perfect fight and opportunity to find a place in a crowded market.

Malignaggi and his feud with Lobov, petty, manufactured or otherwise is a gift, but the problem is can BKFC sustain its inevitable upward trajectory going forward.

There is no doubt Malignaggi is there for his own reasons, and is unlikely to fight again in the promotion, probably anywhere unless McGregor bites.

The perception is that BKFC is a retirement home for faded MMA fighters, and Malignaggi has openly said that he wouldn’t now be able to compete at the high end in boxing, but feels he can in BKFC. Of course, Lobov might send him a different message in Florida.

Malignaggi should win, but the difference in boxing and what he is trying tonight leaves enough doubt for people to invest time and money to find out.

Personally, I find BKFC a difficult watch, not an impossible one, but one that I will continue struggle with. There’s something worrying about it, seeing the faces of Lobov and Jason Knight after their recent fight, leaves me thinking a little too much of the damage they are doing to themselves.

I’m not sure what future BKFC really has, certainly in the mainstream, but Malignaggi and Lobov gives it a chance, but one that I think it will struggle to build on.