Picture Credit: Twitter
Retired fighter Ben Askren took to social media to say that he is willing to fight old rival Jorge Masvidal. It would mean coming out of retirement, but Ben Askren has a personal score to settle against a man that infamously knocked him out in five seconds, finishing as the shortest match ever in UFC to this day. The two have been feuding on social media for some time now, with call outs flying back and forth, and it seems like Askren is ready to take it to the next level.
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Masvidal recently said that he was open to fighting Askren again, even saying he would box him rather than fight him in an MMA match so that Askren couldn’t get kneed in the head again. Askren continued the banters as he responded on Instagram by stating that he has kept fit and wants to fight Masvidal, even sharing a private message he sent to UFC President Dana White about a potential bout between the two.
Askren said, “No I’m not gonna box Jorge. If Jorge was really a BMF he will accept a rematch in MMA and not be a coward.”
Askren seeks redemption
Despite being one of the best wrestling specialists in the MMA scene during his fighting years, Askren has never been able to live down the infamous five-second fight against Jorge Masvidal. In many ways, it shaped the careers of both fighters, with Masvidal being sprung into the spotlight by the fight and Askren facing the beginning of the end, losing again to Demian Maia.
Despite both fighters now retired and well past their primes, it will be an interesting fight not least because of the genuine and personal animosity between the two fighters. Masvidal, for his part, has no intention of keeping it polite either. He called out Askren, saying, “Ben, I’ll only give you the rematch in boxing, motherf*cker. People will tune in because I can’t knee him in the face, right? Maybe Ben can ‘get his way now.’ Hey, Ben, kiss my ass. You coming out of retirement, I’ll send you right back into it.”
Askren made his professional boxing debut in 2021 vs Jake Paul where he lost by KO just two minutes in.
