The shockwaves from Jorge Masvidal’s stunning five-second flying-knee knockout of Ben Askren are still being felt around the mixed martial arts world.
And former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley weighed in on the topic from the red carpet at the ESPYs, as he revealed to ESPN that he’d caught up with Askren following his friend and teammate’s crushing defeat at UFC 239.
“I talked to him a little bit,” Woodley said. “He’s a competitor. I just checked on him, made sure his health was good and gave him his space.”
Knockouts are an occupational hazard, even for the world’s best fighters. And, as someone who has found himself on the wrong end of them in the past, Woodley offered some valuable advice for his Roufusport colleague in the aftermath of his high-profile first career defeat.
“We’ve all got to deal with lessons our own way,” Woodley said. “If you don’t learn anything from it, it becomes a loss.
“I can’t help him learn the lessons that he needs to learn from that. I think it’s gonna take him having to feel a little bit bad, looking at the mirror like, ‘Damn, this (expletive) is reality,’ and whatever lesson he gets from it, I think it will make him a better man and a better fighter.”
While Woodley was clearly supportive of Askren, the former UFC welterweight champion did seem slightly shocked that his friend was caught cold by Masvidal’s surprise attack in the opening seconds of the fight.
“He got hit with a flying knee. Nobody expects that to happen,” Woodley said. “You’d think (with) instinct you’d move out of the way if you see a flying knee, (but) he got hit with it. He ducked his head, too.
“(If) the guy comes running forward, and you duck down looking for a shot, that’s the price you pay.”
For complete coverage of UFC 239, check out the UFC Results section of the site.
