Ben Askren, who will fight Jake Paul in a boxing match in April, has been warned by a perennial UFC welterweight contender ahead of the fight. ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry, who has been sparring with Paul to prepare the latter ahead of his fight, has some words of advice for Askren.

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Currently, UFC President Dana White claimed on the Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson Podcast that he would bet a million dollars on Paul to lose. That raised many eyebrows, especially considering Askren’s not-so-appreciated striking skills. And now, Perry has shared his experience of training with ‘The Problem Child’.

Idk @danawhite, I just got some work with @jakepauland it’s not looking good for  @Benaskren…. #IronSharpensIron,” wrote Perry on Twitter.

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Perry is not the first UFC fighter to train with Paul to make him battle-ready for his fight against ‘Funky’.

‘The Problem Child’ has also trained with Askren’s former opponent and UFC’s BMF champion Jorge Masvidal. ‘Gamebred’ knows a trick or two about how to handle Askren in a fight. So, his involvement with Paul is understandable in this aspect.

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‘The Problem Child’ will look to build upon the perfect start to his professional boxing career against Askren. He earned a knockout finish in his last outing against Nate Robinson. However, one might argue that ‘Funky’ is his first opponent with any sort of professional combat experience under his belt.

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Can Ben Askren hang in the ring with Jake Paul?

Askren’s primary skill was his impressive wrestling accolades during his fighting days. He was never known for his striking ability. In fact, that’s one area of his game that his opponents wanted to capitalize on. Furthermore, he has also never boxed as a professional before.

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE – OCTOBER 26: (R-L) Ben Askren punches Demian Maia of Brazil in their welterweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at Singapore Indoor Stadium on October 26, 2019 in Singapore. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

He is a world-class athlete whose UFC fans might fool people into underestimating him. However, a bad hip, and being on the wrong end of 30, are some factors to consider for his 1-2 record in the promotion.

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Also, apart from Masvidal putting an end to his undefeated professional record by a flying-knee, ‘Funky‘ has never been knocked out. So, with training, he can certainly hang inside the squared ring with ‘The Problem Child‘.

What did you make of Mike Perry‘s recent claims? Let us know.

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Apratim Banerjee

1,260 Articles

Apratim Banerjee is a senior UFC author for EssentiallySports and has been writing professionally for almost a year. Before his current gig, Apratim worked as a UFC writer for Sportskeeda. A long-time MMA fan, Apratim has developed a critical eye for the sport that has helped him transfer his vast knowledge to his copies and give hardcore and casual readers a detailed insight into the fights and fighters. Dan Henderson’s brutal knockout against Michael Bisping at UFC 100 in 2009 is one of his earliest memories of the sport. He has never missed a UFC PPV or a Fight Night since, which speaks volumes about his wealth of MMA knowledge. Israel Adesanya, Jon Jones, Stipe Miocic, Conor McGregor are some of his favorite fighters. Apart from this, Apratim plays soccer in his free time and loves scoring long-distance goals.

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