Ben Askren Explains Avoiding Handling First KO Loss Like Ronda Rousey
Ben Askren was the victim of the fastest knockout in UFC history his last time out to the Octagon. “Funky” faced Jorge Masvidal at UFC 239 earlier this summer, eating a flying knee right out the gate that put him down in five seconds.
Now, just three months later, Askren is ready to return to action in the headliner of UFC Singapore against Demian Maia – a fellow grappler. It’s a quick turnaround after what many fighters would consider to be an embarrassing loss. However, Askren has handled it all with class since the defeat, immediately commenting on the knockout hours after on Twitter.
Speaking to MMA Fighting recently, Askren explained why he wanted to avoid handling such a loss the way ex-women’s bantamweight queen Ronda Rousey did back in 2015 – seemingly hiding in the shadows for a year after being knocked out by Holly Holm in shocking fashion for her first career defeat.
“I think that’s the worst thing you can do [not address losses],” Askren said. “I mean obviously if you want to point to who did it the worst was Ronda [Rousey].
“I always feel like I want to tell my story the way I want to tell it, and if you hide in the corner, everyone else is going to talk about what you’re going to do. Listen, it happens. It’s part of the sport or even life for that matter. Losses happen. I think the best thing you can do is say, ‘That happened. What am I going to do now?’”
Askren prefers fighters tell their own story and set the record straight, rather than media taking their silence and spinning their own narrative with it. “Funky” believes, had Rousey addressed the loss herself and spoken out more, it would shut all the speculation down.
“I think that lack of candor on her part leads to a lot of speculation from everybody else,” Askren said. “If she sets the record straight, it sort of shuts all that down.”
What do you think about Askren’s comments on not handling his loss like Rousey did?
