LAS VEGAS – Does it look like Jorge Masvidal has gotten inside Ben Askren’s head?
That was the question posed by the Askren (19-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) as he nears a welterweight showdown with Masvidal (33-13 MMA, 10-6 UFC), the veteran who’s promised to rearrange his facial features when they meet Saturday at UFC 239.
Masvidal brutally knocked out Darren Till in his previous performance and said he’d punish Askren. The threat met a scoff from its target.
“C’mon, man,” an incredulous Askren said at open workouts for Saturday’s UFC 239 main-card fight at T-Mobile Arena. “Do you think I got to him, though? I think so.”
All of Masvidal’s talk is a tell for Askren. Masvidal doesn’t have the skills to win and knows it.
“He’s good,” Askren said. “He’s just not good enough.”
Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman might be good enough, and Askren is convinced he’ll find out if he beats Masvidal. He’s surely not going to be upstaged by former interim champ Colby Covington, who had the title fight before a falling out with the UFC led to an assignment against Robbie Lawler at UFC on ESPN 5 in August.
“Let me ask you people here a question: Does anybody here really like Colby?” said Askren, prompting a wave of boos. “There’s a 1000 people in this damn building … and not one person said yes, I like Colby. Nobody likes him. Colby sucks, they all know it.”
Covington and Askren are both promoters. The difference, Askren has said, is he does it naturally, and Covington just fakes it. Therefore, he’s the more likable guy, and there’s no question about who’s getting to the belt first.
Masvidal is just a stopover on the way to a title Askren feels he rightfully deserves.
“I’m going to dominate him,” Askren said. “If he wants to give up a submission, he gives it up. If he doesn’t, I beat him up for 15 minutes.”
Not everyone is convinced Askren will get the job done. In mid-interview, a fan piped up, “All you have is a double leg.”
“I’ve got singles, high-crotches, duck-unders, body locks,” Askren replied. “Seems like a few different things.”
And all of them, of course, lead to the canvas. That’s where Askren is most at home when he doesn’t have a mic in his hands. That’s when all those words he uses to get inside opponents’ minds are matched by moves to control them. That’s why Askren is smiling before one of the biggest fights of his career.
For more from Askren’s interview, click on the video above, and to see his open workout, click the video below.
For more on UFC 239, check out the UFC schedule.
