Ben Askren knows he played a role in Jorge Masvidal’s surge in popularity.
Masvidal had one of the best years a fighter could ask for in 2019. He got the year started with a vicious knockout victory over Darren Till in enemy territory. Backstage on that same night, he punched fellow welterweight Leon Edwards.
The incident garnered a ton of buzz but Masvidal would find himself feuding with Ben Askren and delivered a record-setting knockout knee that catapulted his popularity. There was bad blood going into the bout, which made the knockout even sweeter for “Gamebred.” Masvidal closed 2019 by capturing the one-time-only BMF championship via TKO over Nate Diaz.
Ben Askren Says He Put The Spotlight On Jorge Masvidal
During an interview with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, Askren wasn’t afraid to admit that Masvidal’s authenticity is endearing to fight fans. He also wasn’t shy in taking credit for Masvidal’s claim to fame (h/t BJPenn.com).
“I put the spotlight on him. His Twitter followers, his Instagram followers [increased], I put the spotlight on him. I played the foil to him. I let him shine, unfortunately, I thought I was going to crush him,” Ben Askren said to ESPN. “He says some of these things like the three-piece and a soda that maybe he isn’t intentionally funny but it authentic. People love that when he says F-ing super necessary, which I feel like he was a douche for punching me when I was already unconscious. I thought that was unnecessary, but he says it was super necessary.”
Masvidal will challenge Kamaru Usman for the UFC welterweight championship on Saturday night (July 11). Gilbert Burns was set to take the headlining spot but he was yanked from the UFC 251 card due to a positive COVID-19 test. Usman vs. Masvidal would’ve been the fight booked all along had “Gamebred” and the UFC come to terms sooner.
If Jorge Masvidal never fought Ben Askren, how popular do you think he’d be right now?
