Despite their tumultuous history, Ben Askren is giving Jorge Masvidal his due.
Masvidal’s popularity skyrocketed when he made UFC history. “Gamebred” knocked out Askren in just five seconds with a flying knee back in July 2019. This set the record for fastest knockout in UFC history. There was a lot of bad blood going into the bout, making the victory that much sweeter for “Gamebred.”
Askren Picks Masvidal For 2019 Fighter Of The Year
Askren appeared on ESPN’s Ariel Helwani MMA Show. On the show, Askren said Masvidal is his pick for the 2019 Fighter of the Year.
“I’d like to pick Israel Adesanya over him, but I think – I feel like that would be disingenuous,” Askren said on Monday’s episode of the Ariel Helwani MMA Show (transcript by MMA Junkie). “If I have to look at it from a non-biased perspective, it’s freakin’ Jorge, and if you said that was going to happen a year ago, everyone would have said ‘You’re on drugs,’ or have some type of issue. But unfortunately, I think he deserves it.
“It doesn’t hurt me. That’s what it is – that’s the truth,” he added. “That’s the reality of the situation: It doesn’t hurt at all. Now, does it feel good? No, it doesn’t feel good, either. But it’s not … that’s what happened.”
