“I Don’t Know How Tough the Paul Kid Is”-Ric Flair Weighs In on Ben Askren vs Jake Paul

Published 04/17/2021, 1:57 AM EDT

The YouTube star, Jake Paul, will box ‘Funky’ Ben Askren on April 17 at the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The fight is one of the most awaited events of 2021. Askren is an MMA fighter who has been a champion in multiple MMA organizations, including ONE Championship and Bellator MMA.

Following the event’s official weigh-ins, the spotlight was directed towards many celebrities attending the event. One of them was the WWE legend, Ric Flair. ‘The Nature Boy’ got interviewed by MMA Junkie, who asked him about the main event.

Flair said, “It’s my first event and I am not sure what to think. It’s amazing the star power the people are here that are attending an event. That speaks volumes for it already and you know you have got a national champion the kid’s tough from Wisconsin.”

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Flair continued, “And I don’t know how tough the Paul kid is he better be tough if he’s wrestling a guy or fighting a guy with a two-time national champion. I am a big fan of anything competitive like this and I am thrilled they invited me.”

Jake Paul has fought no one like ‘Funky’ Ben Askren

‘The Nature Boy’ seemed very excited about the fight and praised Askren in the interview, but he has his doubts about ‘The Problem Child’s toughness.

Paul hasn’t faced a real boxer or a real fighter so far, and this is the first time he will face a proper fighter like Ben Askren. Even though ‘Funky’ had an impressive record of 19 wins and 2 losses in MMA, the fight still looks very competitive, as Askren is not the most decorated striker.

He relied heavily on his wrestling and therefore avoided striking in his MMA career. Many people believe this is the reason Jake Paul chose ‘Funky’ as an opponent.

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The 2-0 boxer predicted he would stop ‘Funky’ in the first two rounds of the fight; Askren predicted he would grind Paul and ultimately TKO him in the later stages of the fight.

Guys like Zab Judah and Frank Mir think ‘The Problem Child’ works very hard to be a legitimate boxer and will cause a lot of problems for his opponent in the ring. Whereas, many people including Dana White will bet a million dollars on Ben Askren.

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Who do you think will emerge victorious in the final showdown his week?

‘I’m Just His Dog’- Tyron Woodley Says He’s Going to Give Ben Askren ‘Moral Support’

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Saurabh Singh Laledia is an MMA enthusiast who works as a UFC writer for EssentiallySports. His passion for the UFC infused with his knowledge of various fight styles such as Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu motivated him to pursue a career in combat sports journalism, as it would be where he could exhibit his expert views and unbiased opinions whilst keeping the fan’s perspective alive. He started watching the sport at UFC 53 in 2005 when ‘The Ace’ Rich Franklin beat Evan Turner to claim the belt and has traced the journey of the middleweight title right from 'The Spider' to 'The Last Stylebender'.

“I Don’t Know How Tough the Paul Kid Is”-Ric Flair Weighs In on Ben Askren vs Jake Paul

Jake Paul has fought no one like ‘Funky’ Ben Askren

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