Former two-division boxing champion, Paulie Malignaggi, will finally settle his long, vulgar feud with UFC veteran, Artem Lobov, later tonight (Sat., June 22nd, 2019), headlining the latest Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) show at the Florida Fairgrounds in Tampa.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire BKFC 6 fight card TONIGHT, starting with the FITE.TV “Prelims” undercard bouts streamed free at 8 p.m. ET, followed by the FITE.TV PPV main card start time of 9 p.m. ET.
Malignaggi, who has been beefing with Lobov ever since the former’s controversial sparring match against Conor McGregor, will be making his bare knuckle debut, having retired from the “sweet science” back in 2017. Lobov, meanwhile, recently won a gruesome war against Jason Knight in April.
The co-main event sees UFC veteran Chris Leben face late replacement Dakota Cochrane, while Reggie Barnett Jr. takes on Johnny Bedford to determine the winner of BKFC’s Lightweight tournament one fight prior. Other notable names include infamous Ultimate Fighter (TUF) figure Julian Lane, the venerable Joe Riggs, and former boxing world champion Randall “KO King” Bailey.
BKFC 6 quick results:
Paul Malignaggi vs. Artem Lobov — Lobov def. Malignaggi by unanimous decision (48-47 x3)
Chris Leben vs. Dakota Cochrane — Cochrane def. Leben by unanimous decision (49-46 x2, 48-47)
Reggie Barnett Jr vs. Johnny Bedford — Bedford def. Barnett by unanimous decision (47-45, 48-44)
Julian Lane vs. Tom Shoaff — Lane def. Shoaff by unanimous decision (49-45 x2)
Jamie Campbell vs. Joey Beltran — Beltran def. Campbell by KO at 1:50 of Round Two
Joe Riggs vs. Walber Tete Barros — Unanimous draw (47-47 x3)
Jim Alers vs. Elvin Brito — Alers def. Brito by KO at 0:45 of Round One
Drew Lipton vs. David Mundell — Mundell def. Lipton by TKO at 1:35 of Round One
Abdiel Velazquez vs. Travis Thompson — Velasquez def. Thompson by unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 50-45)
Chris Boffil vs. Jared Hayes — Boffil def. Hayes by KO at 1:55 of Round Three
BKFC 6 LIVE PLAY-BY-PLAY:
Paul Malignaggi vs. Artem Lobov
Round one: Lobov swinging hard early. Clinch. Malignaggi firing his jab. Clinch. Malignaggi to the body, clinch. 1-2 to the body a minute in.
Lobov doubles up the right, lands to the body. Clinch. Malignaggi to the body with a right once again. Landing his jab. 10-9 Malignaggi.
Round two: Lobov sending out left hands, lands to the body. Double jab by Malignaggi in return. Right hand downstairs. Lobov lands a straight left, takes a 1-2 to the body. Another right downstairs. Halfway through.
Lead right snaps Lobov’s head back. Lead left from Lobov. Malignaggi jabs the body. clinch. 10-9 Malignaggi.
Round three: Malignaggi still working behind his jab. Lobov to the body, takes more jabs. Halfway through.
Lobov to the body, falls short with swings. More jabs from Malignaggi. Lobov tries a shift combo. Lead left lands for him. Lobov just can’t corral him. 10-9 Malignaggi.
Round four: Now Lobov finding the mark with flurries. Malignaggi clinches. 1-2 from Malignaggi. Low-high goes Lobov, then a right hook halfway through.
Clinch. Malignaggi sporting a cut over his left eye. Malignaggi looking to keep him at bay with the jab. 10-9 Lobov.
Round five: And now their audio is dying. Amazing.
Lobov eats a jab, lands a left downstairs. Another body shot. Clinch. Counter left by Malignaggi. Halfway through.
Lobov falls short with the left as usual. Body shot. Again. Malignaggi just didn’t do enough this round. 10-9 Lobov.
Final result: Lobov def. Malignaggi by unanimous decision
Chris Leben vs. Dakota Cochrane
Round one: Leben with an early clinch. Then Cochrane clinches. Leben looks for some clinch uppercuts. Cochrane wades in with an overhand right. Clinch. Halfway through.
Clinch. Two rights from Cochrane, couple of nice short ones in the clinch. More clinching. 10-9 Cochrane.
Round two: Cochrane lands a looping left, eats an uppercut between clinches. More clinching. Uppercut by Cochrane and he unloads with a combination that opens Leben up. Clinch. Another nice combo by Cochrane halfway through.
Clinch. Cochrane uppercut, clinch. Stream appears to be having issues. Straight left from Leben, clinch. Overhand rights land for Cochrane into the clinch. 10-9 Cochrane.
Round three: Counter 1-2 from Cochrane, then a 2-3. Leben comes back with a flurry that dings Cochrane, who clinches and eats some short blows. 3-2 from Cochrane, clinch. Clinch, short right by Leben. Halfway through.
Leben pressing forward, lands a straight left into the clinch. Cochrane wades in with a combo, clinch. This is getting old. Clinch. Left hook from Cochrane, counter left by Leben. Check hook from Cochrane. 10-9 Cochrane.
Round four: Cochrane’s speed and combination punching working to great effect. As I say that, Leben lands a 2-1-2. Clinch. Halfway through.
More clinching. Clinch. Clinch. Clinch, body shot from Cochrane. Leben lands a hard left. 10-9 Leben.
Round five: Cochrane with a right to the body, clinch. 3-2 by Cochrane knocks Leben back. Clinch, short right hook by Cochrane. Clinch. Clinch, Cochrane body shots. One minute to go.
Leben lands a flurry into the clinch. Cochrane to the body, clinch. Looping left from Leben. Trading short punches in the clinch. That sucked. 10-9 Cochrane.
Final result: Cochrane def. Leben by unanimous decision
Reggie Barnett Jr. vs. Johnny Bedford
Round one: Bedford swinging like mad right off the bat, floors Barnett with a tight right hand in center ring. Barnett beats the count, dropped once again with a 3-2. He again beats the count. Both land big, then clinch. Halfway through.
Barnett clinches again. 1-2-1 from Bedford and they slug on the ropes. Left hook stings Barnett again. Barnett still throwing with him. Body shot on the ropes. 10-7 Bedford.
Round two: They immediately tie up and thump each other in the clinch in center ring. Bedford wading after him. Counter hook land for Barnett. Another right hook. Halfway through.
Bedford telling him to stand and trade, lands a 2-1. Overhand right and left hook by Barnett. Clinch. Tight right hand stings Bedford near the ropes. Clinch. 10-9 Barnett.
Round three: Bedford warned for a false start. Left hook lands for him. Barnett with some nice combinations. Lead right connects for Bedford, flurries so wildly that he punches Barnett in the junk. Halfway through.
Big shots from Bedford and they’re jawing. He invites Barnett in, then sends him stumbling with a right hand for another knockdown. Barnett with a left hook on the ropes after getting up. 10-8 Bedford.
Round four: Barnett potshotting at range. Bedford wading after him. Counter straight right lands for Bedford. Clinch, right hook by Barnett. Another hook. Halfway through.
Nice 1-2 by Barnett. Bedford muscles his way inside for some good shots. Body shot from Barnett in the center. Straight left, then they trade. 10-9 Barnett.
Round five: Bedford’s left eye is not in great shape. Barnett landing well on the outside. Hard clinch shots from Bedford. Halfway through.
Barnett lands a tight right hook. Another on the inside, met by a straight right. Clinch. Bedford with a hook and some clinch uppercuts. 10-9 Barnett.
Final result: Bedford def. Barnett by unanimous decision
Julian Lane vs. Tom Shoaff
Round one: Lane comes out hurling right hands. Shoaff slips. Lane lands a jab and they trade against the ropes. Exchanging rights. Counter uppercut from Shoaff. Lane with a wide left hook in return and he drops Shoaff to a knee with right hooks halfway through.
Shoaff beats the count without issue. 1-2 from Shoaff. Tight right hook from Lane in return, then a near-knockdown with a short left. Counter right from Shoaff and a body shot in the waning seconds. 10-8 Lane.
Round two: Slower start to the round. Jab lands for Lane, then an overhand right on the counter. They exchange in the center. Lane with some hard shots on the ropes halfway through.
Lane lands a short right hand. 2-3. Shoaff lands a right, slips a hook in return. 10-9 Lane.
Round three: They trade on the ropes to start. Shoaff looks for a flurry. Lane comes back with an uppercut. Lane loses his mouthpiece, puts it right back in. 2-3, double right from Lane. Halfway through.
Shoaff winging body shots, falling short. 10-9 Lane.
Round four: Left hook from Lane midway through the first minute. Overhand right by Lane. 2-3. Halfway through.
Shoaff just hasn’t landed anything eye-catching. Now a nice left hand, but Lane comes back with a pair of rights. Overhand right from Lane and a pair of jabs. 10-9 Lane.
Round five: Clinch. Nice left to the body from Shoaff. Doing better this round. Lane with an overhand right. Shoaf lands one of his own. Halfway through.
Shoaff swinging big from too far out. Body shots land. BIG uppercut by Shoaff after taking some hooks. Lane swinging back, eats body shots. 10-9 Shoaff.
Final result: Lane def. Shoaff by unanimous decision
Jamie Campbell vs. Joey Beltran
Round one: Beltran looking for hooks early, lands a left and Campbell comes back with a combination. Clinch. Halfway through.
Beltran lands a right downstairs. Clinch, body shots and short rights from Beltran. Campbell lands a couple of his own. Beltran lands a few more rights inside. 10-9 Beltran.
Round two: Campbell lands an early left hand, but Beltran keeps up the pressure. A short right hand against the ropes puts Campbell down halfway through.
Campbell beats the count, pulling out his mouthpiece as he does. Beltran blasts him with an overhand right, then slams home clinch uppercuts for another knockdown. Campbell gets up at 10 but clearly doesn’t want to continue.
Final result: Beltran def. Campbell by KO
Joe Riggs vs. Walber Tete Barros
Round one: Riggs clinches, lands a punch on the break after the ref calls stop. Barros swings big, lands a left hand. Riggs lands a counter right hook halfway through.
Clinch. Another counter right from Riggs. Barros lands a right in the clinch. 10-9 Riggs.
Round two: They trade big inside, Riggs gets the better of it. Clinch. Clinch halfway through.
Both whiff on hooks. Again. Short right cross lands for Riggs. Clean straight right in center ring drops Riggs on his seat. He beats the count, but gets cracked by another last-second right. 10-8 Barros.
Round three: Barros lands another early right hand. Riggs ties up halfway through.
Riggs clinch. Avoids a right hand. Riggs lands a southpaw 1-2. They trade on the break. Glancing right by Barros. 10-9 Barros I guess.
Round four: Counter right hook backs Barros up and Riggs follows up with an uppercut. Clinch. Again. Barros’ eye is bugging him after that hook. Halfway through.
Clinch. Another right hook lands for Riggs. Barros’ eye is a mess. 10-9 Riggs.
Round five: Barros having issues landing in the early going. Riggs looking for combinations. Barros steps into the clinch. Halfway through.
Another clinch from Barros. He throws a right, clinches, eats a left. Right hook by Riggs as he slips left hooks. 10-9 Riggs.
Final result: Unanimous draw
Jim Alers vs. Elvin Brito
Round one: Brito on the advance. They’re trading heat right away. Alers waves him on. Clinch. Alers backs him to the ropes and they trade bombs until Alers lands a clinch uppercut that sends Brito down face-first.
Final result: Alers def. Brito by KO
Drew Lipton vs. David Mundell
Round one: Lipton orthodox, Mundell southpaw. Short right hands from Mundell in the clinch. Jab downstairs. Counters hurt Lipton and Mundell unloads on the ropes, sending Lipton to his knees. Lipton comfortably beats the count halfway through.
Lipton presses forward, walks into a right hook. Mundell again opens up against the ropes with solid shots. Two short right hands floor Lipton once again and the ref calls it.
Final result: Mundell def. Lipton by TKO
Abdiel Velazquez vs. Travis Thompson
Round one: They come out slugging. Thompson ties up, eats short shots. looking for right hands, eats a left hand as Velasquez angles off. Thompson to the body, lands a bevy of body shots and and overhand rights. Halfway through.
Trading heat at close range. Lead right from Thompson, short body shots and overhand right. 10-9 Thompson.
Round two: Velasquez with an early combination. Thompson continuing to advance, lands to the body inside. Left hook from Thompson. Velasquez lands a clinch uppercut. Halfway through.
Thompson digs a right to the body. Trading near the ropes. Velasquez with a close-range combo. Combo from Velasquez, Thompson attacks the body. 10-9 Velasquez.
Round three: Thompson lands a good straight right when they begin, but Velasquez finds his groove with some combinations. Right cross stings Velasquez near the ropes and they’re slugging. Thompson to the body, takes an uppercut. Halfway through.
Thompson hits the body against the ropes. Good left hook upstairs. Velasquez lands a nice combo. 10-9 Velasquez.
Round four: Thompson landing rights in the clinch, takes shots on the break. Velasquez still circling well. Uppercut inside around the halfway point. Then the either the stream or my internet connection stops behaving for a bit. When it comes back, Velasquez is recovering from an eye poke. 10-9 Velasquez.
Round five: Thompson still struggling to corral Velasquez, who keeps coming in and out with combinations. Hard jab connects for Velasquez. Thompson to the body. Thompson whiffs on a couple of overhands halfway through.
Thompson to the body, takes a left hook. Straight right connects for him. They exchange inside. Hard combos by Velasquez before the bell. 10-9 Velasquez.
Final result: Velasquez def. Thompson by unanimous decision
Chris Boffil vs. Jared Hayes
Round one: Early clinch after a Boffil flurry. Lots of clinches, as expected. Both men dig in short punches inside. Lead right from Hayes connects. Clinch, halfway through.
Clinch. Boffil swings into the clinch. Short uppercut. Boffil combination, more uppercuts inside. Hayes lands a combo at the end. 10-9 Boffil, I guess.
Round two: Good early shots from Bofill. More clinching. 3-2 by Hayes met by short uppercuts. Hayes suddenly with a solid combination that puts Boffil down against the ropes. Boffil makes it to his feet, finds teh mark with right hands. More clinching. 10-8 Hayes.
Round three: Boffil lands a nasty right cross that gets Hayes’ attention, clinch uppercut by Boffil. Hayes left hook. Clinch. More clinchwork; Boffil seems the fresher of the two a minute in. More short right hands piling up and Hayes goes to his knees. Hayes makes it up, bleeding heavily. An uppercut under the armpit puts Hayes down again. Hayes only rises at 10 and the ref calls it
Final result: Boffil def. Hayes by KO