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Jorge Masvidal Not Happy With Ben Askren ‘Representing MMA’ In Boxing Match Against Jake Paul

Published 04/08/2021, 10:45 AM EDT

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Jorge Masvidal still has a lot of ill-will towards his UFC 236 opponent, Ben Askren. Masvidal scored the fastest KO in UFC history over Askren, hitting him with a flying knee and knocking him out in under five seconds. However, bygones haven’t been bygones, as Masvidal has actively trained Jake Paul to prepare for his boxing bout against Askren.

When Ariel Helwani asked Masvidal about his past with Askren, Jorge made it a point to make sure that Helwani doesn’t say Askren was a former foe. Instead, he referred to him as a speed bump before tearing into Askren being the representative for MMA against Jake Paul.

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“When you asked him in interviews ‘why do you not strike?’, he’d say because ‘I can wrestle these guys to death’. I’m a huge wrestling fan, but you have to show respect. You have to know this is MMA.

“Now, this guy is supposed to represent what? Our community? Hell no, who the hell gave this guy approval? The only reason he’s doing it is because I embarrassed him and made him famous for getting knocked out. Somebody else wants to do that to him. He’s not a representative of MMA in any way.”

Jorge Masvidal: Will this feud with Askren ever be over?

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People that saw the feud unfold in 2019 know that there was never any love lost between Jorge Masvidal and Ben Askren. It is also easy to forget that Askren went into that fight as the favorite because of his credentials against ‘Journeyman’ Masvidal.

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However, Jorge had the perfect plan ready for Askren. A wrestler always shoots, so Masvidal made sure he can land a ferocious knee when Askren tries to shoot. That is what happened, and the rivalry ended in five seconds. But Masvidal kept laying into Askren after the fight, birthing his ‘super necessary‘ gimmick.

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via Getty

With Masvidal training Paul, it is evident that he has no desire to see Askren succeed. Askren saw his MMA career unravel after that one knee, and Masvidal is fighting in his second title bout. Maybe what is in the past should be left in the past.

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Written by:

Ishaan Bhattacharya

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Ishaan Bhattacharya is an NBA, NCAA Basketball, and Combat Sports writer at EssentiallySports. Currently, Ishaan is pursuing a Post Graduate Degree in Journalism from Xavier's Institute of Communication. Previously, Ishaan has written for The Indian Express, The Quint, Sportskeeda, and WrestleClub.
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