Ben Askren Comments On Suffering Fastest Knockout In UFC History

This past weekend (Sat. July 6, 2019) Jorge Masvidal pulled off the fastest knockout in UFC history.

“Gamebred” finished Askren in five seconds with a flying knee as Askren shot in on an immediate takedown attempt. After a pair of follow-up shots in which one could see “Funky” was clearly unconscious, the fight was waved off. The finish was not only a record-setting one, but the first defeat of Askren’s career.

Askren gave his first interview today (Mon. July 8, 2019) after the knockout on “The Ariel Helwani MMA Show,” and reacted to being on the receiving end of such a record. Here’s what he had to say:

“No [being the record doesn’t bother him],” Askren said. “I think that’s probably a positive. Right? I mean, would you rather be somewhere in mediocrity like 24 seconds or would you rather have a record at five. You might as well have the record. And if you calculate my pay-per-hour compared to a five-second knockout, it’d be pretty fantastic.”

There was, and still is, clear bad blood between Masvidal and Askren. Losing to someone like “Gamebred” makes the defeat all the more bitter, but “Funky” isn’t going to sit around and cry about it:

“Yeah, it’s annoying,” Askren admitted. “But what am I going to do about it? Cry? Ask for a rematch? I don’t deserve a rematch I got knocked out in five seconds. What do you want me to do? Sometimes life doesn’t go your way, sometimes you get your ass kicked, sometimes you lose. You don’t have to like it, but you have to accept it.”

What do you think about Askren’s comments regarding his knockout loss to Masvidal?