Dana White Says Jorge Masvidal vs. Ben Askren Is His Favourite KO Ever
UFC president Dana White has revealed Jorge Masvidal’s flying knee knockout over Ben Askren is his favourite of all time.
White made the statement while answering fan questions during an AMA on Reddit. A fan asked him what his favourite KO ever was and he was honest with his answer, although keen to express it’s nothing to do with his hatred of Askren, he said.
“Hmmm. When I give you this answer everyone is going to think it’s because I don’t like Ben Askren. And it’s just not true at all. I do like Ben. But it’s hard not to pick Masvidal vs Askren”
Masvidal and Askren met on the main card of UFC 239 in July 2019. The welterweight contenders both appeared on the cusp of big things. ‘Gamebred’ had just knocked out fellow contender Darren Till. ‘Funky’ controversially submitted former champion, Robbie Lawler, in his UFC debut.
Throughout the build-up Masvidal and Askren exchanged barbs and it was clear for all to see neither man was fond of his opponent. Once fight night came though things were settled in brutally quick fashion.
Masvidal came sprinting out of his corner landing a perfectly timed flying knee that left Askren stiff on the mat. Five seconds was the official time making it the fastest KO in UFC history. Although in reality, Askren was asleep much quicker, that didn’t stop ‘Gamebred’ from throwing in a few extra shots for good measure. Masvidal was, of course, awarded the knockout of the year in 2019 and the fight clip now appears to constantly shared on social media.
White is not wrong with his pick at all and many fans will agree Masvidal scored the greatest KO of all-time vs. Askren. However, given his history with Askren it does seem to be a dig. White infamously refused to sign Askren for years because he didn’t like his fighting style or personality. By the time ‘Funky’ reached the UFC, he was way past his peak fighting years and struggled to perform at his true potential.
Do you agree with Dana White? Is Jorge Masvidal’s flying knee on Ben Askren the greatest KO of all time?
