Ben Askren thinks Jorge Masvidal should thank him
At UFC 239, Ben Askren got the fight he wanted as he was taking on Jorge Masvidal. He was calling for the fight for months, after he beat Robbie Lawler in his UFC debut.
Should Askren win that fight, he would most likely be getting a title shot next. He had made a case for himself given how popular he was. And, the fact that Kamaru Usman the champ, wanted to fight him. Yet, that is the opposite of what happened as “Funky” was knocked out in just five-seconds by a flying knee. It was the fastest knockout in UFC history.
Now, it is rumored he will be fighting Demian Maia next at UFC Singapore. While Masvidal is set for a big fight or a title fight. He believes, given how famous “Gamebred” has gotten because of it, the ATT-member should thank him.
“I will acknowledge that I made him this popular,” Askren said on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday (transcript via MMA Mania). “I brought the best in him, So it’s fine, it’s part of the game. We were the most anticipated fight by far on the biggest card of the year. And it definitely wasn’t because Jorge decided not to show up to two different press events. It was because I made it that way.
“Jorge can say I’m a dick, or whatever the hell he wants to say about me. But if he wasn’t so rude, he should probably say, ‘Thank you for making me a lot of money,’” Ben Askren added.
Given the way the two were trash-talking each other before the fight, it seems unlikely Jorge Masvidal will thank Ben Askren. But, with the win over “Funky”, “Gamebred” is now on a two-fight winning streak with knockout wins over Darren Till and the former Olympic wrestler.
