Image: by CNN.com
Final Bell MMA #3
By: Dylan Saraiva
Twitter: @DJSarv21 Instagram: @djsarv21
Yesterday per Ariel Helwani, of ESPN MMA, news broke that the retired UFC Welterweight and former ONE Champion Ben Askren had agreed to fight the Youtuber and boxer Jake Paul in an 8 round professional matchup. The fight is slated to happen on Saturday April 17th of this year. This came almost a year after Askren was knocked out in one of the most replayed knockouts of all time by the surging Jorge Masvidal and subsequently put to sleep by way of a rear naked choke from Damien Maia.
Previously before the two devastating losses, “Funky” Askren was an undefeated Olympic wrestler who had dominated each of his opponents by relentless takedowns and top control. Askren would be comparable to that of Chael Sonnen often found dominating his opponents for the entire length of the fight. Askren originally entered the UFC after being traded in a blockbuster moment for Mixed Martial Arts when ONE Championship traded Askren for the former Flyweight champion Demetrius “Mighty Mouse” Johnson who still holds the record for most consecutive title defenses within the company at 11.
The News came as a shock to some in the MMA community as the way that Askren was dominated in his previous two fights had some concerned if he had much left in the tank and so his announcement of his retirement did not happen with a lot of fanfare. Askren being primarily a wrestler was not known for his striking prowess, so some were shocked that he would agree to a boxing match with the Youtuber who most recently knocked Nate Robinson into a state of unconsciousness earlier this year. Askren’s willingness to accept the fight had some already making memes saying that Askren would be next to fall to Paul, however, others state that although Askren’s striking may not have been discussed along the greats such as Anderson Silva, Chuck Liddell, or even George St. Pierre he still should be able to defeat Paul who only started boxing celebrities rather than someone with professional fighting experience.
This seems to be not much else outside of a money grab for Askren as Paul’s attempts to call out mega star Conor McGregor seem to have fallen by the way side. Askren was 17-0 when entering the UFC and in his first fight faced a former champion at 170 lbs in Robbie Lawler. Askren was getting destroyed on the feet but had sunk in a bulldog choke which looked to have put Lawler to sleep when Herb Dean stopped the fight. However, as soon as Askren let go it was clear to see that Lawler was wide awake as he began immediately protesting the decision to Dean and to the audience. From the beginning, it would seem Askren’s UFC career had gotten to a rocky start and with his two losses in a row before retiring many people questioned the legitimacy of his dominance in the outside promotions that he had competed because of his UFC record.
This fight may be a way for Ben to put his name back in the good graces of MMA fans as some has discredited him for his two devastating losses and his constant callouts of everyone from top to bottom in the welterweight division. Askren may not fight in the UFC again even if getting back into the good graces of the fans, as Dana White and Askren have had a rocky relationship with each other as seen through multiple interviews and social media comments online. There is the belief that Askren does not have a “fan-friendly” fighting style meaning that he is not going to get into a brawling contest with someone he’s going to focus on getting his opponent to the ground and controlling while taking as little damage as possible.
This boxing match will be an interesting opportunity for the 30+ year old Askren to show that he can hang with a young and presumably more athletic fighter in Paul. Winning here for Askren might not cause him to compete again inside the Octagon but if he can give fans an entertaining fight some may change their views on the former champion and possibly his legacy could in turn be ending on a more positive note than his first retirement