'Malignaggi was too easy for McGregor, he won't be a problem for me': Artem Lobov (VIDEO)
Artem Lobov says he welcomes the challenge of a potential bare-knuckle bout with Paulie Malignaggi, and reignited the debate over the American's infamous sparring session with UFC star Conor McGregor.
Speaking to RT Sport, Lobov said Malignaggi's 2017 sparring session with the MMA star - which was part of McGregor's preparations to face Floyd Mayweather in the ring - was "very one-sided," and that the Irishman had an easy session against the former two-division world boxing champion.
READ MORE: Conor McGregor teammate Artem Lobov inks deal with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships
"I was there. I was present at the sparring session. It was a very one-sided sparring session," Lobov stated.
"Paulie didn't really land anything. His thing was speed, but he's so slow now. He worked a lot and tried to work a little bit with his jab, but nothing was working.
"He got pounded out, he got dropped, [it was] an easy spar for Conor. Paulie didn't have anything to offer."
While Lobov is all set to face fellow former UFC star Jason 'The Kid' Knight in his debut for Bare Knuckle FC on April 6 at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum, much of the talk over the past week has been about a potential match-up with Malignaggi, who inked a deal with the bare-knuckle promotion at the weekend.
Lobov acknowledged that a match-up with the former world boxing champion would not necessarily be easy for him, but says that he would be victorious regardless.
"It might not be a completely easy fight, but I will certainly get the job done," he said.
"And to be honest I don't like easy fights. Look at my record, I have faced the best of the best at every turn.
Also on rt.com 'Paulie Malignaggi calls out Conor, but I'll break his jaw': McGregor teammate Artem Lobov (VIDEO)"In only my second fight I faced the guy that was number six European MMA fighter, and I won. So I was never a guy to shy away from a challenge.
"I look for the best guys out there, I look for the biggest challenges out there, and I will continue to do so."
