On Saturday at UFC 239, Ben Askren suffered the first loss of his career in devastating fashion after being knocked out by Jorge Masvidal’s flying knee in a UFC-record five seconds. It was a stunning conclusion to the most anticipated fight on the card, as well as to Askren’s undefeated run that lasted 19 fights and 10 years.
Askren, the former Bellator and ONE welterweight champion, signed with the UFC last year after years of calling for his shot. Through two octagon appearances now, against Robbie Lawler and Masvidal, Askren has been mostly dominated and won his debut in controversial fashion. Which begs the question: Where does he go from here? MMA Junkie’s Steven Marrocco, Nolan King and Farah Hannoun sound off in this edition of “Triple Take.”
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Steven Marrocco: Askren probably should quit, but he probably won’t, so let’s take a slower approach to rebuilding
I’m of two minds on what should be next for Ben Askren.
Thinking of him, I wonder about the end game for the funky wrestler. At 34, is Askren content to earn another title shot? Can he develop the skills needed to compete at the top of the UFC’s welterweight division? Have we already seen his ceiling?
You could match Askren with a striker of lesser caliber than Masvidal, but nobody is a one-sided threat in the UFC. Every part of your game needs to be up to par, or you will eventually be exposed. Askren’s unusual win over Robbie Lawler obscured that fact for a little bit, but the Masvidal loss, however statistically improbable, made it painfully clear.
Askren has been an MMA fighter for 10 years, and he’s trained with some of the best strikers in the game. He’s never tried to be anything other than what he is, which is a world-class wrestler who’s adapted his skills to the cage. He brought a couple titles and a heck of a lot of press to the table, so he jumped near the front of the line in the pecking order. And quickly, his limitations were exposed.
So if Askren is too old to change, and he’s unlikely to be a world champ, why risk all the brain damage? Why walk through the wilderness of the welterweight division, gambling the next guy won’t catch you with something? Is the money really that good?
And that brings me to my next thought. It’s clear Askren is a draw. Some of that interest is attributable to genuine concern for his well being on Saturday night, when over 500,000 people name-dropped him on Google. But he has the personality to make the UFC some money in the next few years. And if he’s up for the risk – and you know he is – then the promotion is happy to utilize his verbal skills. They need all the help they can get in the star department, and Askren can be that guy.
I don’t dislike a Darren Till matchup. It capitalizes on recent heat between the two, and there’s an easy storyline with Masvidal as the common foe. I just don’t think there needs to be any rush. Askren doesn’t need a strong dance partner to sell a fight. He can sell just about anything if you give him enough time. So why not build up to that matchup? There are plenty of opponents who can give Askren octagon seasoning and build buzz for the big fights. There’s Demian Maia, if you’d like a grappler’s delight (and he’s not retired). There’s Neil Magny and Elizeu Dos Santos. There’s a rematch with Robbie Lawler. And then there are unranked opponents if you want to go the route of rebuilding Askren’s ranking – or build a new star.
In the end, though, it’s really up to Askren what he wants to do next. If history is any indication, he won’t be quitting any time soon. So it’s a matter of his personal end game and the costs he’s willing to bear along the way.
Next page – Nolan King: No getting rid of Askren, so let’s get (another) grudge match booked
Nolan King: No getting rid of Askren, so let’s get (another) grudge match booked
Sorry, Ben Askren haters, but “Funky” likely won’t be going anywhere.
The optics of the knockout were brutal, yes. The stakes raised by the trash talk and general disdain between Askren and Jorge Masvidal made things worse. Despite it all, Askren stuck true to his persona, poking fun at himself on Twitter in the following days. In doing so, Askren amassed over 30,000 retweets and almost 200,000 likes on two tweets alone.
Even though he was knocked out by Masvidal in just five seconds at UFC 239, Askren still has the interest of the UFC audience. Attention, for good or bad, is always what matters at the end of the day.
Often times, it’s hard for a fighter to maintain or grow his interest after a loss. The fighters who are able to, however, often share a common trait: the gift of gab. In that department, there’s no denying Askren is simply one of the best.
Take Chael Sonnen, for example. He lost six out of his final nine MMA bouts, but people were still engaged every time he fought. Askren has lost one out of his 20 pro bouts. It’ll take a lot more than one loss to put a stop to his popularity.
Popularity aside, Askren’s in-cage progress might be a different story. The 35-year-old already has retired once and has had a rough go in the UFC thus far. It’s entirely possible the best version of Askren didn’t get to step foot in the UFC cage.
The loss to Masvidal, paired with a pummeling from Robbie Lawler in his last bout, would make me a bit hesitant to book him against another striker. But this logic is likely flawed. The problem with Askren? He’ll fight anyone. The problem with the UFC? They like money.
If I’m the UFC, I’m pairing Askren up with rival Darren Till. The two welterweights have their history and are coming off devastating knockout losses to the same man. Why not take the spotlight off of their failure and move the conversation to an upcoming grudge match?
Next page – Farah Hannoun: Askren vs. Till is the perfect next matchup
Farah Hannoun: Askren vs. Till is the perfect next matchup
It’s been a rough first two fights for the formerly undefeated Ben Askren, who burst onto the UFC scene with all the major headlines.
His first fight was a controversial stoppage submission win over Robbie Lawler, in a fight that he was picked up and slammed, taking a significant amount of damage.
Then he drew the type of opponent he was looking for, someone willing to engage in some back-and-forth, which ended up backfiring in the worst way possible. Jorge Masvidal brutally knocked out Askren in a record 5 seconds via flying knee, the first strike he threw.
So, where does Askren go from here? Well, I say the welterweight division could still use a guy like Ben Askren, and he should fight Darren Till next. Till is coming off back-to-back losses, with a loss to a common opponent in Masvidal. The two have already gone back and forth in the past, and that’s the kind of opponent Askren needs.
Askren’s results in the octagon might not have warranted his trash talk, but Askren does remind me of a guy like Chael Sonnen. Sonnen wasn’t exactly winning every fight, yet he still managed to get people watching and talking about his fight. Askren’s pre-fight talk did bring out the best in Masvidal, which unfortunately ended up being the worst for him, but he does have a big part to play in why their fight was the most talked about on Saturday night.
A fight between Till and Askren will definitely push one of these two welterweight stars a massive step back, but I say capitalize on their previous heat. This fight is good enough to land on a PPV main card or headline a fight night.
For complete coverage of UFC 239, check out the UFC results.
