Ben Askren doesn’t appear enthusiastic about a rematch with Robbie Lawler.
Askren’s Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut has been marred by controversy. Askren was going into UFC 235 with a ton of hype. That hype almost came crashing down quickly. Lawler slammed Askren’s head to the mat early and hammered away with punches on the ground. “Funky” was bloodied from the punishment, but he held on and began to find his groove in the grappling. He locked in a bulldog choke and referee Herb Dean called a stop to the bout as he thought Lawler was out. The former UFC welterweight champion protested the stoppage immediately.
Ben Askren Doesn’t Dig The Idea Of Robbie Lawler Rematch
Askren appeared at the UFC 235 post-fight press conference. When a potential rematch with Lawler was mentioned, Askren had the following to say (via Damon Martin):
“I pass. We’ll have that discussion. Like I said, I’d like to fight the winner of [Darren] Till-[Jorge] Masvidal, I think that makes a whole lot of sense as far as the division’s concerned. I didn’t really want to fight Robbie in the first place. I didn’t like that matchup. I told them yes the first time without hesitation. First time they proposed it, I said ‘OK let’s go.’ Did that.”
UFC president Dana White appears to have other plans as he said he wants to make the rematch happen. White also expressed his belief that Herb Dean made a mistake in stopping the fight.
What do you think the UFC will do with Ben Askren next?
