Paulie Malignaggi vs. Artem Lobov? Jason Knight vows to shut it down at BKFC 5

"After that's done and over with, they're not even going to want Artem Lobov no more, much less try to book a fight with him and Paulie."

Jason Knight says he got into MMA because he was “a bad kid that liked to fight,” and he could do it without getting into trouble.

Signing with Bare Knuckle FC, Knight is going back to his roots in a way. No gloves are required. He can just bear down and throw hands, albeit with much more technique than the school yard.

Knight also aims to spoil another fight by leaving one of its participants un-promotable. On Saturday night, he meets fellow former UFC fighter Artem Lobov at BKFC 5 in Biloxi, Miss. Already, the promotion is setting the groundwork for a summer showdown between Lobov and ex-boxing champ Paulie Malignaggi, as evidenced by a staredown that almost turned into a fist fight.

But Knight isn’t impressed by the ploy and adds Lobov, Malignaggi and BKFC have another thing coming if they think he’s a warm-up opponent.

“They’re thinking that he’s going to run right through me and go fight Paulie, and make them some more money and all that bull(expletive),” Knight told MMA Junkie Radio. “But I’ve got news for them. It’s not going to be a cakewalk. I’m going to be there Saturday night, and I’m going to (expletive) put hands on him. After that’s done and over with, they’re not even going to want Artem Lobov no more, much less try to book a fight with him and Paulie.”

When Knight initially made contact with Bare Knuckle, the stakes weren’t as clear. He said a connection tried to deal with him directly, prompting him to get his coaches and managers involved. He didn’t hear anything back until he heard it announced publicly that he would fight Lobov. His team had already made the deal.

Malignaggi’s entry into the picture added another layer to the story. An avowed enemy of Lobov’s longtime friend and training partner Conor McGregor, he saw a bare-knuckle fight as a way to get payback via proxy.

When Lobov and Malignaggi faced off this week in New York, it didn’t take long for things to get out of hand. Maybe that was the goal all along, Knight said.

“It honestly looked to me like a bunch of fake (expletive) they had rigged up,” Knight said. “If I’m going to slap a man, I’m not going to barely tap him. I’m going to slap the fire from his ass. I’m going to try and slap the spit from his mouth.”

Knight believes Lobov is going to realize he made a mistake when they get into the ring. He believes straight punches and a stiff guard will be too much for Knight to handle.

“The way I look at it is, as long as I fight smart, I don’t get into some stupid-ass brawl, there’s no way he can win,” Knight said.

At the same time, Knight isn’t above a conspiracy theory about what might happen if it’s a competitive fight, and they go to the scorecards.

“I have to either knock this guy out, or I have to beat the dog (expletive) out of him,” Knight said. “It can’t be a close decision. David Feldman, Artem and Paulie are already looking at the Paulie fight, so if it’s even kind of close, they’re going to give the decision to Artem so they can make the next fight happen.

“So therefore, I’m going to make sure the decision is nowhere near close. And if it does go that far, they’re not going to be able to rob me.”

While Lobov signed a three-fight deal with BKFC, Knight’s contract is only one fight. He doesn’t think that far ahead of Saturday, even though he’s not opposed to fighting Malignaggi. His current task is simply to play spoiler.

“The way I see it, he’s just some guy who’s signed and is trying to fight Artem,” Knight said. “I’m going to beat Artem. That’s the task in front of me, and that’s all I’m worried about. But if they want to give me Paulie later on, I’m down. I don’t care.”

MMA Junkie Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia, Brian “Goze” Garcia and Dan Tom. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio. You can also check out www.siriusxm.com/siriusxmfightnation.