Ben Askren lacks the desire he once had, at least that’s what one Bellator champion thinks.
Askren did battle with Demian Maia in the main event of UFC Singapore this past Saturday (Oct. 26). “Funky” wanted to rebound from a record-setting knockout loss to Jorge Masvidal. Askren ended up being submitted by Maia in the third round.
Douglas Lima Weighs In On Ben Askren’s Skid
Newly crowned Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima suffered a unanimous decision loss to Askren back in April 2012. During his appearance on SiriusXM’s The Luke Thomas Show, Lima expressed to Jimmy Smith his belief that Askren isn’t the same fighter he once was (via Bloody Elbow).
“He just doesn’t look as good as in shape as he did before,” Lima told The Luke Thomas Show on Monday. “I don’t think I see any hunger in him when he steps in there. There’s definitely something missing. I think if he can pull it together, I’m sure he can still beat a lot of those guys. But right now, there’s just something missing. He’s gotta come back, sit down, and realize what it is.”
Lima went on to say that he doesn’t feel Askren has been putting a big emphasis on training these days.
“It just doesn’t seem like he’s very focused on the training — trying to improve, trying to get better at certain things,” Lima said. “People are evolving. Everybody is getting good nowadays. Everybody is good. There’s not gonna be an easy fight nowhere.”
