UFC: Jorge Masvidal says Ben Askren retired too early – ‘you got two losses, it’s no big deal my brother’
- ‘BMF’ champion thinks Askren needs to ‘get back on the horse, get to work and figure it out’ rather than quitting MMA
- ‘We’re supposed to fight. Two losses can’t discourage you if you’re a fighter’
Jorge Masvidal knows what it’s like to have to bounce back from a two-fight losing streak. So he was disappointed to see Ben Askren hang up his gloves last week.
Askren’s long-awaited arrival in the UFC brought plenty of thrills to the Octagon in 2019. But after a winning start against former champion Robbie Lawler, his title hopes were shattered by that flying knee from Masvidal – or “MGM Grand Buffet to the face” as “Gamebred” put it.
“It’s not bad though, second fight in the UFC he breaks a record, we’ve gotta give the guy some applause,” Masvidal joked to Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole.
Perhaps more seriously, though, the “BMF” conceded that Askren’s entertaining run was “definitely good” for the UFC.
“He brings in his own crowd, – he was a stand-out in wrestling, especially collegiate wrestling, so he did have a fan base. He did some things over at Bellator and on One FC [One Championship],” Masvidal said. “So he did have a crowd that he brought over with him to the sport, a different type of crowd.”