Jason Knight calls Paulie Malignaggi ‘soft’ after loss to Artem Lobov

After months of trash talk, it was all respect between Paulie Malignaggi and Artem Lobov following their fight at Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 6.

However, another former UFC fighter-turned-BKFC boxer did not hold back when discussing Malignaggi’s bare-knuckle debut.

Following Malignaggi’s unanimous decision loss to Lobov in Saturday’s main event, Jason Knight was brought into the ring to hype up his next outing and also give his assessment on the much-hyped grudge match. Knight was brutally honest, especially when it came to discussing Malignaggi’s resolve.

“I saw two fighters that were both kind of scared of each other. Paulie was just a little more scared than Artem was,” Knight said. “Paulie was scared to f*cking death. And Artem, he wanted to play it safe, I don’t blame him. The guy is supposed to be a way better boxer than you, you’re supposed to play it safe.

“All Artem had to do was take that fight away and he did.”

Knight has firsthand knowledge of what it’s like to fight Lobov in a bare-knuckle boxing bout, having dropped a decision to Lobov at BKFC 5 in April. Up next for Knight is a battle with veteran MMA fighter Leonard Garcia at an Aug. 10 show in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Though his encounter with Lobov only received a fraction of the publicity that Lobov’s fight with Malignaggi generated, Knight believes their bout was the more entertaining affair and he credits himself with bringing the best out of Lobov.

Malignaggi? Knight doesn’t think the former IBF and WBA champion is cut out for bare-knuckle boxing.

“Paulie’s soft and we proved it tonight,” Knight said. “The only reason that you saw Artem fight so hard in that last fight is because Jason Knight was there. This fight wasn’t nearly as exciting as it was last time.

“But I promise you August 10, Leonard Garcia is going to show up and he’s going to have to fight me.”