Everyone knows Conor McGregor shows up for his friends, especially his longtime teammate, Artem Lobov.
When Lobov lost in the UFC, McGregor was there to cheer him up. When Lobov got slapped by Khabib Nurmagomedov, McGregor got on a plane and started a war.
Lobov is now set to face Paulie Malignaggi, McGregor’s onetime sparring partner and avowed rival. Saturday’s Bare Knuckle FC 6 event seems as good a time as any for the former two-division UFC champion to show his support. But Lobov is guarding that knowledge for commercial use.
“Tune in Saturday night, and you will find out,” he told reporters, including MMA Junkie, following the final press conference for his bare-knuckle fight with Malignaggi in Tampa, Fla. “There’s more than one reason to tune in on Saturday night, and that’s just another one.”
Malignaggi desperately wanted to fight McGregor after he released footage of their sparring sessions as he prepared for a boxing match against Floyd Mayweather. The callout didn’t amount to much more than a few headlines. But when Lobov left the UFC and signed with the BKFC, Malignaggi was enticed to come out of retirement.
Since then, Lobov and Malignaggi have built a rivalry of their own, nearly coming to blows on several occasions. McGregor hasn’t shown up despite Malignaggi slapping and spitting on Lobov.
Could that change on Saturday? Even BKFC president David Feldman claims to be in the dark after welcoming McGregor with open arms.
“I haven’t heard whether he’s coming for sure or not,” Feldman said. “I don’t think he’ll make that announcement. If he comes to see his boy, he’s going to come. But if he doesn’t, he doesn’t. This is going to be a great, epic event, if Conor comes or he doesn’t.
“If he makes his way here, we’re going to welcome him. And if he doesn’t, we’re going to get on with the party.”
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