A humbled Ben Askren says he doesn't deserve a rematch vs. Jorge Masvidal
Ben Askren isn’t going to sugarcoat his quick loss to Jorge Masvidal at UFC 239. Askren knows he got beat so quickly a rematch would be silly.
Askren revealed that, and many other nuggets on Ariel Helwani’s ESPN show Monday. Askren was blunt and honest in his assessment of the fight, saying he doesn’t think he deserves a rematch after his performance.
Ben Askren asked how he feels since it's Jorge Masvidal that has the victory over him:
What am I gonna do about it? Cry? Ask for a rematch? I don't deserve a rematch. I got knocked out in five seconds. #HelwaniShow— Jed I. Goodman (@jedigoodman) July 8, 2019
Askren lasted just five seconds against Masvidal on Saturday. Masvidal landed a flying knee just after the fight started that knocked Askren out. Masvidal added two more punches before the ref could step in to break things up. It was the quickest win in UFC history.
That wasn’t the only surprising thing Askren said during the interview. After antagonizing Masvidal in the lead-up to the fight, Askren actually complimented his opponent Monday.
Askren to @arielhelwani: "I don't like Jorge at all, but that was a damn good flying knee. He hit it fast and explosively. He got some serious airtime on it and obviously connected in the right spot.” #HelwaniShow
— Marc Raimondi (@marc_raimondi) July 8, 2019
Askren noted that he doesn’t believe Masvidal got lucky with the flying knee. The 34-year-old Askren said that move takes a lot of skill.
As for all the smack talk, Askren said it was intentional. It was a strategy by him to get Masvidal to accept the fight. Because of that, Askren said he wasn’t surprised he got punched twice after he had been knocked out.
Since he was knocked out, Askren doesn’t remember that. He actually doesn’t remember anything while in the cage.
Ben Askren: "I remember being in the cage with (Jorge Masvidal). I don't really remember the flying knee."@arielhelwani: "You don't remember anything in the cage?"
Askren: "I don't."https://t.co/ESZZ4rtHC1#HelwaniShow— Greg Rosenstein (@grosenstein) July 8, 2019
Askren had been a perfect 19-0 coming into the fight. He’ll now have to figure out what’s next after picking up his first loss.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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