Ben Askren is ready for the mockery he is going to face after being knocked out by Jake Paul.
After the former Bellator and ONE champions retired and spent three months in training, he did not even make it two minutes after Paul blew him off in the opening round with a monstrous right hand. Askren dropped to the canvas, and despite being on his feet again before the score was ten, the referee would not allow him to continue.
After that, Askren made no apologies for his loss and invited the criticism that is surely coming to his side.
“It was probably deserved,” Askren said when asked about the mockery he would receive after the loss. “Because I was knocked out by Jake Paul. This is f * king embarrassment.
‘I did not let the MMA community down, but let the world down. People hate Jake Paul and they wanted to see him make him miserable and I did not. So I did not let the MMA community down, but let the world down. ”
Askren barely got a chance to do much of anything in the fight with Paul before his right hand put him on the canvas during an early exchange. The former Olympic wrestler did try to succeed with Paul in denying the size and gaining advantage of his opponent, but the referee was quick to break them apart whenever that happened.
He also recognized a mistake when he set up his combinations and eventually led to the knockout blow.
‘I heard my coach Mike [Rhodes] he said I definitely respond to his fine and that was the beginning of the end, ”Askren said. ‘I probably should not have reacted so harshly to the fine. If the ref had made me wrestle a little longer, it might have helped a little, but at the end of the day no excuses. I tackled a boxing match and it did not go so well. ‘
While Askren complained about the interruption in the ring, he did not hold any bad will towards the referee because he put off the fight after the result.
“I thought I was doing well, but that’s his job,” Askren said. “If that’s what he feels, that’s what he did.”
In the run-up to the fight, Askren and Paul had a nasty verbal exchange of words, not just more than a few fiery messages on social media.
By the time they clashed on Saturday night, it felt like a personal grudge had been settled, but boxers and mixed martial artists could usually put the rivalry behind them.
That does not seem to be the case when it comes to Askren’s feelings towards Paul, at least in terms of his legitimacy as a true fighter.
‘No, I do not [respect him], ”Askren said. ‘Because I want to see him fight. I’m sorry I let you down, and I did not fight with him. He hit me early. Like I said, it’s when you respect someone, when you see what they’re made of.
‘I was hoping you guys would see it tonight, and I let a lot of people down. They could not see it. ”
Askren has no plans to test himself in the boxing ring again, much less to return to MMA and it does not look like life will change much for him now, except that his bank account will grow exponentially.
“I’m going to take home about a million dollars in the bank and go wrestling,” Askren said. “I’m not really giving it a chance. Pizza is waiting in my hotel room. I’m going to eat it. I will fly home tomorrow and Monday and hang out with my kids. I’ll probably be at a wrestling practice. ‘
After the event, Paul was unwilling to commit to any future opponents after moving to 3-0 in his career, but if he wants to face another MMA fighter, Askren has a suggestion.
‘I’ll love Tyron [Woodley] to give him up, ”Askren said of the former UFC champion who was in his corner on Saturday night. ‘Tyron wants to fight Oscar De La Hoya, but I would like Tyron to fight Jake Paul. I mean he’s a significantly better boxer than I am. That would be my guy. ‘