In the main event of tonight’s Bare Knuckle FC 5, two UFC veterans, Artem Lobov and Jason Knight will square off in the main event, and Artem Lobov has absolutely no qualms about disclosing his intricate game plan for the entire world, including his opponent, to hear and dissect (interview transcript via MMA Junkie):
“I feel free, relaxed, nothing to worry about. Just walk up to Jason Knight, break his jaw, and go home,” Lobov revealed to MMA Junkie Radio.
But what about all the tricks and tools Artem Lobov picked up along the way during his MMA career? Meh.
“It’s not much use, and I know this for myself because my style of boxing is very different from how I fight in MMA,” Lobov said. “Because I don’t have to worry about takedowns. Because I can close the distance, and in MMA it was always hard to show my true standup potential. I have a pretty short reach, so I have to close the distance just to strike. But then when I close the distance, I was in wrestling range. So I always was in this weird situation.”
Truly prepared for anything, Artem Lobov even has a plan for what will happen if he breaks his hand while in the process of disfiguring Jason Knight’s face. To Lobov, that is something that is to be expected, and his solution is to continue to hammer through the pain:
“When you look at it close, it’s technical,” Lobov said. “It’s very easy to break your hands in boxing. So if you break your hand, what are you going to do for the rest of the fight? So of course, if you’re me, then you don’t give a [expletive] if you break your hands. My hammers, I’ll still be throwing them.”
If all goes well, Artem Lobov looks to move on fight Paulie Malignaggi next, whom Lobov looks to use as another stepping stone to a much larger goal:
“I want to get through Jason first,” Lobov said. “I want to make it nice and quick. Just a win is not enough for me here. I feel I want to put on an impressive performance because I am planning on moving to boxing eventually. Jason is my step toward Paulie and Paulie is my step toward professional boxing. That’s my plan.”
Who’s your pick to win tonight’s Bare Knuckle FC 5 main event? Artem Lobov or Jason Knight?
