Ben Askren: Jorge Masvidal Pissed ‘Punk White Kid’ Makes More Than Him

Ben Askren’s UFC return will take place this summer against Jorge Masvidal in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“Funky” and “Gamebred” clash at 170 pounds on the UFC 239 pay-per-view (PPV) card. A few weeks ago, the UFC held a press conference to hype some of its most anticipated fights of the year, one of them being Askren versus Masvidal. However, the former Miami street fighter was a no-show for the event.

Speaking on “Ariel Helwani‘s MMA Show” earlier today (Mon. May 6, 2019), Askren said he was told Masvidal had a “reasonable excuse” for missing the presser:

“They said he had a “reasonable excuse” to why he couldn’t go. Listen – his whole vocabulary consists of four letter words. He’s not going to add a lot to the press conference for God’s sake,” Askren said. “I did well on my own.”

Masvidal was, however, a guest on UFC commentator Joe Rogan‘s podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience.” He previewed his upcoming fight with Askren, whom he has a very evident disdain for. However, Askren can’t put his finger on why exactly “Gamebred” has it out for him.

If he had to put words into Masvidal’s mouth, he’d assume it’s due to a “punk white kid” coming into the UFC and making double what he is:

“It was so funny, on the Joe Rogan show, I caught clips because my wife was watching part of it, and Joe was – Joe is a man, in my opinion, of the truth. Jorge kept trying to get off the topic, and Joe would say ‘Well, no, I don’t think you’re being fair here. I don’t think this is totally true.’ And it was funny because Jorge responded.

“What you see is, there’s no real reason Jorge is pissed. There’s no real reason Jorge doesn’t like me. He’s somehow created this thing in his head, he has all this anger behind it, and he can’t even put into words what it is. I would say – If I had to put words into his mouth for him, I would say, he’s pissed that a punk white kid has come into the UFC and is making over double him, and I have no history in the UFC.

“In his head, that’s unjust. He doesn’t like that, that’s unfair, and to that, I would say, ‘Listen, there’s a reason. I’ve made my brand so valuable and there’s a reason I get paid what I do.’ If you look at any type of metrics, my numbers are looking pretty damn good, Jorge. So suck it.”