Artem Lobov wound up winning his Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) debut on Saturday night, but his opponent Jason Knight did not make it easy for him.
The two UFC veterans, who met in a featherweight showdown in the BKFC 5 main event, engaged in a bloody war for five frenzied rounds.
Over the course of the fight, both men were knocked down several times, and both landed plenty in the way of meaningful offense. By the time the fifth round had ended, however, the judges had been more moved by Lobov’s efforts and awarded the Conor McGregor stablemate a unanimous decision as a result.
After this wild, five-round skirmish, Artem Lobov took to social media to show off the damage he sustained in the fight. Safe to say it’s going to take him a while to look and feel normal again.
Just like Lobov, Jason Knight was a nearly unrecognizable mass of bruised flesh and coagulated blood post fight. He too updated his fans with a selfie after the bare knuckle violence had ended.
With his victory over Jason Knight, which marked a successful BKFC debut, Artem Lobov sets up a grudge match with retired boxer Paulie Malignaggi. The two arch rivals will meet in the main event of the BKFC 6 pay-per-view in June.
Jason Knight, meanwhile, will have to return to the drawing board, though he can probably look forward to a rematch with Lobov sometime down the road.
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 4/7/2019.