“I think of it like, thank god that this fan base in MMA is so f—king stupid that they actually have made this possible.”
Paulie Malignaggi is using every trick in the book to promote his upcoming bare knuckle fight with Artem Lobov at BKFC 6.
The former two-division boxing world champion has even gone as far as insulting the entire MMA fanbase, crediting them for being stupid enough to actually believe Lobov has a chance on June 22.
“I think of it like, thank god that this fan base in MMA is so f—king stupid that they actually have made this possible,” Paulie Malignaggi told MMA Fighting in a recent interview. “A fight this easy is possible in a main event situation. That’s how I look at it. I look at it in a thankful way. From that perspective I say yeah, I can’t believe I’m here. I’ve been in the ring with top fighters, main events inside stadiums and the biggest arenas in the world. I’ve been announced as a world champion. Believe me, it all goes through my mind. And now, I’m fighting this guy, who I don’t think has ever fought a guy who’s been a world champion, let alone fight for a title. So I catch myself and say I can only be thankful. There’s no way realistically possible to have a fight this easy against a bum of this level unless there is a fan base this stupid.”
After he beats Lobov, Malignaggi expects an apology from the Russian for touting the ‘lies’ of SBG Ireland teammate Conor McGregor. Team McGregor released footage of ‘The Notorious’s’ controversial sparring session with Malignaggi in the lead-up to the Mayweather bout, and ‘Magic Man’ believes he was inaccurately portrayed as the inferior fighter.
“I expect an apology and an admittance of the lies,” he said. “If I get that, there can be respect, no problem. We’re both men, and we should be up front as men. I’ve been nothing but up front. I think if there was mutual respect, he would admit all they did was lie and were hyping things. Then we could have respect and be cool about it. But if he keeps lying about it, I might beat his ass again after I’m done.”
BKFC 6: Malignaggi vs. Lobov takes place this Saturday, June 22 at Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, Florida.