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.”
“But what I don’t like is we’re fighters. We’re supposed to fight, man. You got two losses, it’s no big deal my brother. Get back on the high horse, get to work and figure it out, man.”
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Masvidal has also racked up impressive stoppages of Darren Till and Nate Diaz in 2019. But heading into the year, he was of course 0-2 in his previous two fights from 2017 – tight decision losses to Stephen Thompson and Demian Maia.
Askren had hoped to bounce back last month at UFC Singapore against Maia, but was submitted in the third round by the legendary Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. He opted to call it quits instead of trying to climb the rankings, with an upcoming hip surgery set to require a year of recovery.
“I’ve heard he has hip issues and stuff so I can’t comment on how bad his body is holding up or not,” Masvidal said. “But as far as fighting goes, two losses can’t discourage you if you’re a fighter.”
