Former UFC standout and Conor McGregor stablemate Artem Lobov will make his Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) debut when he takes on Mississippi native and former UFC fighter Jason Knight in the main event of “BKFC 5: Lobov vs. Knight” taking place Saturday, April 6 at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi and live on pay-per-view.
“BKFC 5: Lobov vs. Knight” is the second BKFC event of 2019 and will be the third to take place at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. The event will be broadcast across the United States and Canada, exclusively on pay-per-view through MultiVision Media, Inc., on all major television distribution outlets for $29.95. It will also be available worldwide via stream to all in-home and out-of-home connected devices at FITE TV and www.bareknuckle.tv.
“I am really excited for this fight card and the main event,” said BKFC Founder and President David Feldman. “Artem Lobov and Jason Knight are two fighters that don’t know how to back up. Having this fight take place in Biloxi, Jason’s hometown, will be electric and I can’t wait to see that packed house. The card is stacked with Chris Leben, Marcel Stamps, Chase Sherman and many more.”
Tickets for “BKFC 5: Lobov vs. Knight” are available now exclusively at www.bareknuckle.tv beginning at $35.
“It’s going to be ‘night night’ for Jason Knight on April 6,” said Lobov. “If we had fought in MMA, I think it would have been a competitive fight, but this is real fighting and he stands no chance against me. I’m happy to fight him in his hometown because I’ve always gone and taken the toughest challenges. They’re going to be cheering me when I’m leaving the arena.”
“I’m excited to fight someone like Artem Lobov in my hometown,” said Knight. “I’m ready to go out there and get this done. It’s going to be electric in the arena when they announce my name and I step into this fight. I don’t think he’s man enough to put me out like he says. He’s going to wish he never took this bare knuckle fight.”
The night of action will include former UFC veteran Chris Leben battling former Bellator standout Justin Baseman in a light heavyweight fight, Mississippi native Chase Sherman taking on BKFC fan-favorite Sam Shewmaker in a heavyweight attraction and Marcel Stamps, fresh off his BKFC victory over Kendall Grove, as he faces professional boxer Martin Verdin in a light heavyweight showdown.
A 32-year-old fighter from Russia, Lobov made his name on Season 22 of The Ultimate Fighter as part of Team McGregor, where he worked his way to the finals of the tournament before losing to Ryan Hall. He challenged Cub Swanson in a UFC main event in 2016, after picking up victories over Chris Avila and Alex White. While he lost his last three UFC bouts by decision, he owns 13 professional MMA wins and will take that experience into BKFC action.
Representing his hometown of D’lberville, Mississippi, Knight has a 20-6 professional MMA record since turning pro in MMA at just seventeen-years-old. He made his UFC debut in 2015 when he stepped in on two weeks’ notice to face Tatsuya Kawajiri in the Ultimate Fighter 22 finale, dropping a unanimous decision. Knight went on to win his next four UFC bouts between July 2016 and May 2017. He then lost four consecutive contests, the final three coming by decision.