Ben Askren seems unphased and undeterred by both Darren Till and Jorge Masvidal preemptively rejecting a fight against him. Both fighters had their reasons for dismissing Ben Askren as a potential next opponent. For Jorge Masvidal, Askren should give Robbie Lawler a rematch for what Masvidal believes to be an inauthentic victory and that Askren is a coward for rejecting the idea of a rematch. For Darren Till, Ben Askren was the rightful winner of that bout, but he still has a lot of work to do before being worthy of a fight against him. Ben Askren has arrived at a diagnosis for both men, in what Dr. Askren has classified as a case of “Askrenitis” (transcription via BJPenn.com):
“I’m reading these reports, Darren Till says, ‘Askren needs to work his way up,’ and Jorge Masvidal says, ‘Askren’s a coward if he doesn’t take the rematch,’” Ben Askren said on Instagram. “And you know what this sounds like to me? This sounds like these gentlemen got a bad case of ‘Askrenitis.’
“They realize, ‘Sh*t! Ben Askren is gonna be on the ground in London in about 12 hours?’ They’re getting ready to puff up their chests and say a bunch of cuss words and act real tough. Cause that’s what they gotta do in public to maintain their image. But now they’re just makin’ these excuses for why they don’t have to say yes when somebody calls their name Saturday night.
“So when you guys see it, you better recognize it!” Askren continued. “Cause ‘Askrenitis’ is hitting the whole UFC welterweight division! It’s a bad night to be embarrassed. Don’t be scared suckas.”
Ben Askren is 1-0 in the Octagon. For his debut performance, some believe a rematch is in order for Askren’s controversial UFC 235 victory over Robbie Lawler. But Ben Askren’s sights are firmly locked on the participants of UFC London’s main event, and nothing the two fighters have said have shifted Askren’s sights in the slightest.
Do you agree with Dr. Ben Askren’s diagnosis of Askrenitis and that the cure is for the winner of Till/Masvidal to fight him?
