Robert Whittaker shares his take on Jake Paul knocking out Ben Askren: “I guess nobody saw that coming”

UFC middleweight Robert Whittaker shared his take on Jake Paul knocking out Ben Askren, saying that “I guess nobody saw that coming.”

It just so happened that Whittaker’s fight against Kelvin Gastelum in the main event of UFC Vegas 24 came at the same time as Paul made the walk to fight Askren. Fortunately for fight fans, the Paul vs. Askren fight didn’t last very long, so they were able to watch Whittaker put on a masterclass against Gastelum right afterward. Of course, since both main events were happening at the same time, Whittaker was asked by the media about the fight. Although Whittaker couldn’t watch it live, he heard Paul knocked out Askren, and “Bobby Knuckles” even suggested that he could be the next man to fight Paul.

Whittaker on Paul knocking out Askren: "I guess nobody saw that coming. Askren's not known for his boxing is he? But good on him."

Whittaker says that he'd fight Jake Paul for less than $500,000

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) April 18, 2021

Whittaker on Paul knocking out Askren: “I guess nobody saw that coming. Askren’s not known for his boxing is he? But good on him.” Whittaker says that he’d fight Jake Paul for less than $500,000

Of course, Robert Whittaker won’t have the opportunity to fight Paul, though he might get the chance to rematch UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Whittaker is under exclusive contract with the UFC and there’s no way the promotion would let him go and fight Paul, even though he would likely win pretty easily.

Instead, Whittaker seems likely to get rewarded with a title shot against his rival at 185lbs Adesanya. He has won three straight fights since losing to Adesanya at UFC 243 in 2019, so he deserves it. With nine wins in his last 10 fights, Whittaker has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt he’s the second-best middleweight in the world, and he has earned the right to fight for his old belt again after the way he handled Gastelum on Saturday night.

Who were you predicting would win the Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren boxing match?