UFC and former welterweight champion (up to 77 kg) at ONE Championship and Bellator, Ben Askreen was knocked out in the first round in a boxing match with YouTube Jake Paul, last Saturday, in Atlanta (USA). The result and performance of a mixed martial arts fighter shocked even those who knew his hit was not his forte, as he always had his wrestler weapons in possession.
With only 1m10 of fighting, in dueling scheduled for up to eight rounds of three minutes, Askren received a right cross and fell. He was still standing and the referee opened the scoring, but he was clearly no longer able to continue the fight. After the fight, Ben Askren said he was embarrassed.
– They probably deserved it (criticisms and jokes) because Jake Paul kicked me out. It’s very embarrassing. I have not disappointed the mixed martial arts community, I have disappointed the world. People hate Jack Paul and they wanted to see me make him miserable and I didn’t. So, I have not disappointed the mixed martial arts community, I have disappointed the world – Askreen said.
Ben Askreen retired from MMA shortly after his last fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, in October 2019, when Demian Maia introduced him. Before that, he was fired by Jorge Masvidal in just 5 seconds, in what was also his first MMA loss. The 36-year-old stopped in MMA by scoring 19 wins and two losses, and made his first boxing match last night.
Jake Paul, a YouTuber with more than 20 million subscribers to his channel, started his boxing adventure last year. First, he also beat YouTube to Eason Gibb, then former basketball player Nate Robinson. Now, he came to the cartel and scored three wins, but against competitors who had never fought in boxing before.
Jake Paul knocks Ben Ascreen after just over a minute of fighting – Photo: Al Bello / Getty Images for Triller
Frank Mir also loses in boxing
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir was also a part of the Atlanta event, just like Ascreen ended up in defeat. On the other hand, the 41-year-old fighter did not. He did six three-minute rounds with Steve Cunningham, the 44-year-old former FIBA cruiserweight champion. Defeat was by unanimous decision (60-54, 60-54 and 58-56).
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