Artem Lobov and Paulie Malignaggi finally settled their differences in the main event of BKFC 6. After months of trash talk, the two finally fought. It was a close fight, but when the scorecards were announced it was “The Russian Hammer” who got his hand raised as he beat Malignaggi by unanimous decision (48-47 x3).

It was a massive win for the former UFC fighter, and a big win for his gym, SBG-Ireland. His coach, John Kavanagh said it was the best day of his life, as for his friend in Conor McGregor, well he had a different message for Lobov.

“I spoke to Conor, he said that was a good performance,” Artem Lobov said on The MMA Hour. “I dominated the fight, I pressed the action all the time. And he said it was a very good performance and a great win for me.”

For Lobov, he says it was great to get the win over the former world champion boxer. Going into the scrap with Paulie Malignaggi, the 32-year-old says it was a must win as he couldn’t have lost after all the trash talk the two traded.

“To me, a fight is a fight, I just want to win it no matter what, but this one, of course, was a lot more personal,” Artem Lobov added. “This was an emotional build-up and a win was a must here. So it was a very important win. It was definitely not my favorite performance, definitely not my best performance or most exciting fighting but it was a must win.

“I couldn’t have lost here. No way and I didn’t and I brought the win home and that’s the only thing that matters now.”

Do you agree with Conor McGregor that Artem Lobov dominated the fight against Paulie Malignaggi? Sound off in the comment section, PENN Nation!

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 6/24/2019.