Ben Askren News
Ben Askren scoffs at Jorge Masvidal’s offer to have a rematch under boxing rules: “He’s scared of being embarrassed”
Susan Cox - August 10, 2023
Former Bellator and ONE champion Ben Askren is scoffing at Jorge Masvidal’s offer to have a rematch under boxing rules. It was when speaking with ‘TMZ Sports‘ this past July that the 38-year-old Masvidal called out Askren saying:
Jorge Masvidal reacts after Ben Askren calls for rematch
Harry Kettle - July 26, 2023
Former UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal has reacted to Ben Askren calling for a rematch with him in the future. Four years ago, Jorge Masvidal became a superstar. While his wins over Darren Till and Nate Diaz were notable, it was his vicious knockout of Ben Askren that really put him on the map. Just five seconds into their highly anticipated grudge match, ‘Gamebred’ was able to knock Askren out cold with a nasty knee to the head.
Ben Askren shares direct messages with Dana White regarding a potential UFC rematch with Jorge Masvidal
Susan Cox - July 25, 2023
Ben Askren has shared direct messages with Dana White regarding a potential UFC rematch with Jorge Masvidal. Jorge Masvidal (35-17 MMA) and Ben Askren (19-2 MMA) met in the Octagon in July of 2019 at UFC 239. The result was a knockout victory for Masvidal at 0:05 of Round 1. It was to be the fastest KO in UFC history.
Ben Askren scoffs at Conor McGregor’s claim that he plans on fighting 3 or 4 times in the next year: “That’s crazy talk”
Susan Cox - June 3, 2023
Ben Askren has scoffed at Conor McGregor’s claim that he plans on fighting 3 or 4 times in the next year. The Irishman, 34, has not fought in the Octagon since his TKO loss to Dustin Poirier (29-7 MMA) in July of 2021 at UFC 264.
Ben Askren calls out Jon Jones after recent Francis Ngannou remarks
Lewis Simpson - May 18, 2023
Ben Askren has an issue with the UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones following his recent remarks directed at Francis Ngannou. Following the announcement that Ngannou would sign a record-breaking deal with the PFL, Jones quickly poked jabs at the former UFC heavyweight champion. Earlier this year, Ngannou revealed he wouldn’t re-sign with the UFC and would test the waters of free agency.
Jorge Masvidal details why he was "95 percent certain" that his flying knee would KO Ben Askren
Cole Shelton - March 22, 2023
Jorge Masvidal was confident he would be able to KO Ben Askren with a flying knee after he got face-to-face with him. Masvidal and Askren fought back in July of 2019 at UFC 239 at International Fight Week in a highly anticipated fight. The pair engaged in a ton of trash talk in the leadup to the contest, with Askren claiming he would easily be able to outwrestle Masvidal. Once the pair went face-to-face, ‘Gamebred’ was certain ‘Funky’ would try and shoot right away.
Ben Askren shares his thoughts on the UFC’s complex welterweight title picture
Harry Kettle - March 22, 2023
Former UFC fighter Ben Askren has given his thoughts on the current state of the promotion’s welterweight title picture. Last weekend at UFC 285, Leon Edwards successfully retained the UFC welterweight championship. He did so by defeating Kamaru Usman, the same man he knocked out for the belt last summer.
Ben Askren believes Jorge Masvidal was pressured into accepting fight with Gilbert Burns at UFC 287: “He doesn’t think he’s gonna win either”
Harry Kettle - February 1, 2023
Ben Askren has explained why he doesn’t believe Jorge Masvidal will defeat Gilbert Burns when they meet at UFC 287. It’s no secret that Ben Askren and Jorge Masvidal don’t like each other. After all, ‘Gamebred’ was the one who knocked Askren out cold when they met back in 2019.
Ben Askren open to a rematch with Jake Paul in PFL if the UFC will allow it: “I’d love to rub his face in the canvas”
Harry Kettle - January 6, 2023
Ben Askren has explained how his UFC contract could prevent him from facing Jake Paul in a mixed martial arts bout. Back in April 2021, Ben Askren opted to step foot into the boxing ring to take on Jake Paul. Many weren’t quite sure how it would play out but in the end, ‘The Problem Child’ dusted Askren within the first round.
Ben Askren praises Paddy Pimblett's attitude following controversial win over Jared Gordon: "That’s what early McGregor would have done"
Josh Evanoff - December 14, 2022
While many are attacking Paddy Pimblett, Ben Askren liked what he saw at UFC 282. ‘The Baddy’ made his return to the octagon last Saturday night on pay-per-view. The bout was just Pimblett’s fourth in the promotion, and despite that, he’s already a star. Promotional deals with brands such as Barstool Sports have only raised his profile further.
Ben Askren says it is “obvious” that Jorge Masvidal is ducking Gilbert Burns: “Obviously he is declining”
Harry Kettle - November 21, 2022
Ben Askren believes that Jorge Masvidal is ducking Gilbert Burns due to an ongoing decline in his abilities. Back in 2019, Jorge Masvidal was the biggest thing going in mixed martial arts. With Conor McGregor being on the shelf and Khabib Nurmagomedov only fighting once, Masvidal stepped up to the plate with three fights in an incredible twelve-month period.
Ben Askren shares his thoughts on a potential Jake Paul vs Nate Diaz boxing match: “I don't know why anyone would think that Nate has much of a chance”
Cole Shelton - November 4, 2022
Ben Askren shared his brutally honest assessment of a potential Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz fight. After Paul defeated Anderson Silva by decision to improve to 6-0, he called out Nate Diaz. It’s a fight he has talked about for quite some time and the interest only increased after the win. As well, the two have taken shots at one another for quite some time and at the event, their teams got into a backstage scuffle.
Ben Askren recalls first memories after Jorge Masvidal knockout: 'F***, that's Luke Rockhold. That means I'm in the hospital'
Andrew Whitelaw - October 20, 2022
Ben Askren has become synonymous with Jorge Masvidal after he suffered a 5 second knockout at the hands of ‘Gamebred’ in 2019. The former ONE and Bellator welterweight champion shot for an early takedown but was caught by a flying knee. It was an iconic finish for Masvidal. The stoppage that launched a thousand memes. In reality, it was probably a lot more that that. The moment was so significant for Masvidal that he even got it tattooed on his shoulder and turned into t-shirts.
Ben Askren believes "journeyman bum" Jorge Masvidal should appreciate him for stardom: "He needs to send me a Christmas card"
Josh Evanoff - October 19, 2022
Years after their fight, Ben Askren and Jorge Masvidal still appear to not be on good terms. At UFC 239 in July 2019, ‘Funky’ and ‘Gamebred’ met in a key welterweight clash. At the time, Askren was 1-0 in the UFC and was undefeated in his career. It was just months after his trade to the promotion, and he was looking to make a splash against the resurging Masvidal.
Chael Sonnen explains why the UFC should have no regrets over trading Demetrious Johnson for Ben Askren
Susan Cox - September 2, 2022
Chael Sonnen is explaining why the UFC should have no regrets over trading Demetrious Johnson for Ben Askren. It was almost four years ago that the UFC made a cross-promotion trade, sending Demetrious Johnson to ONE Championship in return for Ben Askren. In 2018 the agreement was reached between the UFC and Singapore’s ONE Championship which saw the first trade between the two MMA promotions.
Ben Askren reveals the only fight he would end his retirement for
Cole Shelton - August 30, 2022
Ben Askren is happily retired from MMA but admits there is one fight that would draw him back in. Askren retired following his submission loss to Demian Maia but then made his pro boxing debut and was knocked out by Jake Paul. After the loss, he confirmed his career would be over as he needed hip surgery and cited his age. However, ‘Funky’ says he would end his retirement and return to fighting to face Jorge Masvidal.
Ben Askren reflects on boxing match with Jake Paul: "Turning it down would have been both cowardly and limiting my opportunity"
Josh Evanoff - July 20, 2022
Ben Askren is glad he took a boxing match with Jake Paul. ‘Funky’ retired from MMA in November 2019, following a loss to Demian Maia. With that, he also ended his UFC stint, holding a 1-2 record. While he debuted with a win over Robbie Lawler, he then suffered subsequent defeats to Jorge Masvidal and the aforementioned Maia.
Ben Askren responds after Jorge Masvidal suggests he would “love” to face him in a straight wrestling match
Susan Cox - April 20, 2022
Ben Askren has responded after Jorge Masvidal suggested he would ‘love’ to face him in a straight wrestling match. Askren, 37, is a former professional mixed martial artist and amateur wrestler. ‘Funky’ is the former Bellator and ONE Welterweight Champion, who remained undefeated for over a decade before competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Ben Askren (19-2 MMA) retired from active competition after his loss to Demian Maia (28-11 MMA) back in October of 2019.