The mixed martial arts (MMA) world was thrown into upheaval when Jorge Masvidal knocked out Ben Askren in five seconds (highlights here) at UFC 239.
Most fans and media members were in awe of the greatness of ‘Gamebred’s’ legendary flying knee, which he had planned all along. But Askren himself doesn’t even remember the jaw-dropping finish. So while many are still pumped up by the comeuppance of the over-the-top trash talker, a man close to Askren is not.
Former UFC title contender Chael Sonnen was at UFC 239 to analyze the fights on ESPN+. After the groundbreaking card, he released a video on his official YouTube channel. In it, he opened up about how the finish made him feel via BJPENN.com, and it was not good:
“I will tell you I did not enjoy the knockout the way a lot of other people did,” Chael Sonnen said. “The arena erupted, I mean this is the culture, this is the sport. I get it, no hard feelings either way. I found it scary. And it would’ve not mattered who it was. That was a scary moment.”
Sonnen continued on that he believes Askren’s loss to Masvidal was the worst knockout he’s ever seen. That is due to the sheer physics of the brutalizing knee. Sonnen then closed by describing his post-fight interaction with Askren:
“That was one of the worst knockouts I’ve ever witnessed. I believe it to be the worst because it was a car wreck. It was head-on. Ben was coming at him and changing [levels]. He was going down as Jorge was coming up. It’s just really powerful. I sent Ben a text message just saying, ‘hey when you have a chance would you just write me back something so I know you’re OK.’ Two hours later Ben wrote me back. He said, ‘all good, but I heard I lost.’”
Was Masvidal vs. Askren truly the scariest MMA knockout of all-time?
