Ben Askren says yes to Jorge Masvidal rematch, no to boxing match
There’s been bad blood between Ben Askren (19-2) and Jorge Masvidal (35-17) ever since their July 2019 fight at UFC 239.
And although both men have retired from mixed martial arts, a rematch between the two could be on the horizon after Masvidal said told TMZ last week that he’s interested in running it back with Askren, except this time he wants to fight in a boxing ring instead of the Octagon.
Askren accepted the challenge with one caveat: it has to be an MMA fight and not a boxing match. He even ran it by UFC president Dana White.
Although Masvidal won their first fight — a five-second knockout via flying knee which set a record for fastest knockout in UFC history — the 38-year-old former welterweight title contender is adamant on the rematch being in a boxing ring — an area he has a distinct advantage over Askren, who’s background is in wrestling.
“Look, Ben, I’ll only give you the rematch in boxing, [expletive],” Masvidal said. “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, [expletive]. This guy, bro. They shouldn’t have shown me that comment, you corny [expletive].”
A veteran of 52 MMA fights, Masvidal also has a background in street fighting and Sixteen of his 35 wins have come by knockout or TKO. He also runs Gamebred Fighting Championship — a mixed martial arts promotion that sanctions bare-knuckle fights and boxing matches.
Askren, who has won six of his 19 MMA fights by knockout or TKO, has just one pro boxing bout under his belt — a first-round TKO loss to YouTuber Jake Paul in April 2021.
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