UFC: Ben Askren partied to move on from Masvidal – ‘there was no time to waste sitting in my room crying’

He’s made headlines for saying Conor McGregor should “shut up” and that Colby Covington is a “terrible person.” But today Ben “Funky” Askren is here to talk about, well, Ben “Funky” Askren.

“Here I am and this is big,” says the American.

That would be Saturday night’s bout with Brazilian Demian Maia (27-9), headline event on the UFC Fight Night 162 card at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Askren (19-1, one no contest) is the wild card in a stacked UFC welterweight pack. Two fights in to his career with the Las Vegas-based promotion and the division remains unsure, really, about how to deal with the 35-year-old former Olympian.

Outside the Octagon, Askren has added some much-needed spice through his ever-ready Twitter fingers, often targeting (and niggling) the likes of those aforementioned fighters and quite obviously getting under their skin.

It’s a method of modern warfare, this.

“It’s fun and it works,” says Askren. “I enjoy the banter. I spent a lot of time on a college wrestling team where everyone was giving everyone else s***. I don’t have that in my life any more but I have Twitter. But I never think ‘Hmm. Maybe I should say something about this guy’. I just go boom. Type, 30 seconds and out there. Done. I keep it true. It’s what I think.

“It makes me way more popular, it gives me more storylines as I move forward. It’s provided me with a lot of positives.”

But what really matters is what goes on when the cage door closes. Askren’s two fights have so far lasted a combined 3.25 on the clock, with the last – against Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal (34-13) back in July – the quickest knockout in the organisation’s history at just five seconds.

Replays don’t lie and what they show is Masvidal’s knee sending Askren into oblivion in what just might well be the most perfectly executed fight plan in MMA history.

It was as though Masvidal’s right knee knew exactly where Askren’s face was going to be.

“Damn it,” Askren says of the memory. “It sucks. I was on the brink of getting a title shot. I was right where I needed to be after 10 years of fighting. I’m on the brink of a title shot. I’d never really been knocked down. Never been hit that hard. Then, one shot. All that s*** goes down the tubes.”

The loss, for the American, was tough – and the ramifications immediate.

“If I’d lost my first fight I’d have moved right down the rankings. If I’d won my last fight I’d have moved right up,” says Askren. “Win and I’d have been ranked first or second. In fighting you need to know that every single fight is integral to the process and if you lose and win there are diametrically different results.

“There are some guys who get to a level where every fight is a big fight. Look at [Donald] ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone. He’s done so much winning and losing that at this point pretty much everyone wants to watch him. You know he’s going to win a couple, lose a couple. But the rest of us need to keep winning if we are to get where we want to be.”

To think the worry when Askren made the switch from One Championship to the UFC that his style of combat – built on an outstanding wrestling career – brought nothing to the party.

The Masvidal madness came after Askren had taken a debut win with a bulldog choke-out of Robbie “Ruthless” Lawler (28-14, one no contest) in May, following just over three minutes of sheer fury.

“I don’t feel like it’s all that different. You get in a cage and you fight another person,” says Askren of his move to the UFC. “You have to use your skills to be better than his skills. I look at it as a competition and I’m having fun with it. First fight I got the job done, second fight I made a mistake. Now I just gotta keep moving in a positive direction.”

There was no time for self-pity after the Masvidal loss, as Askren revealed he immediately decided to just get on with his life.

“That night I went to the after party,” says Askren. “The next day my wife and I slept in and I went to a pool party. There was no time to waste sitting crying in my room. I just got up and kept moving. The next week I was coaching a bunch of kids at a national tournament so life moves on, you don’t have time to sit and feel sorry for yourself.

“All my life I’ve been a slow starter and later in my life it was recognised as a weakness. So then I became a faster starter. Jorge likes to start fast and I knew that. I knew he was going to try something right away and he hit the right spot at the right time. And that was it. It wasn’t even like I learned a lesson. I knew something was coming. Just not that.”

Now it all comes down to the hulking figure of the 41-year-old Maia – roundly known as one of the sport’s nicest guys, but also a fierce competitor who’s already twice fought for world titles.

Maia is a BJJ freak, and talks about his martial art with almost religious fervour. If Askren does reignite his title chances on Saturday, it’s likely to come while both fighters are sprawling around on the floor.

“It’s a different fight,” says Askren. “I think it’s going to be a lot of fun for me strategically. I’ve brought in a couple of jiu-jitsu guys to help me prepare and I feel like I am ready. It all starts Saturday night. Again.”