The hype surrounding Paulie Malignaggi vs. Artem Lobov may lead to decent numbers for the BKFC 6 card, but Chris Leben doesn’t dig the antics.

Tomorrow night (June 22), BKFC 6 will be held inside the Florida State Fairgrounds Expo Hall in Tampa. In the main event, Malignaggi and Lobov will finally do battle. Many believe Malignaggi has crossed the line, slapping Lobov during a media day staredown and spitting on “The Russian Hammer” at a press conference in New York City.

Leben was a guest on MMA Junkie Radio. During his appearance, Leben explained why he isn’t a fan of Malignaggi’s actions in the buildup to BKFC 6:

“I want to watch the fight. I don’t know that I would have went to the levels that either one of these guys – especially Paulie – went to, as far as the things he was saying, spitting on his opponent. I thought that was pretty, we’ll just call it not classy.

“Not the most classy way to act, especially for a guy who’s boxed at the highest level, made the money, and is a Showtime commentator.”


Leben is also scheduled to compete on the BKFC 6 card. He’ll collide with Dakota Cochrane. “The Crippler” was initially set to meet Brennan Ward, but Ward pulled out of the event.