Ben Askren tweets ‘sorry world’, walks away laughing after first-round KO by Jake Paul at Triller Fight Club
- YouTuber Paul knocks down former UFC star Askren with referee waiving off the fight after a minute and 59 seconds
- Askren enjoys a US$500,000 payday for the fight in Atlanta, with emotional Paul saying ‘I just had a dream, and I chased it and I worked hard’
Jake Paul secured a first-round knockout at Triller Fight Club after the referee deemed Ben Askren was unable to continue following a knockdown on Saturday night in Atlanta.
But the former UFC star didn’t seem to mind too much. After protesting the stoppage, 36-year-old Askren left the ring and walked backstage at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium with his wife Amy, smiling and laughing.
Askren reportedly earned a US$500,000 payday for the fight against the 24-year-old American YouTuber, which lasted one minuted and 59 seconds.
He later tweeted “Sorry world :(”.
“I didn’t let the MMA community down, I let the world down,” Askren later told reporters. “People [expletive] hate Jake Paul, and they wanted me to make him miserable.”
“The Problem Child” Paul extended his boxing record to 3-0, after setting up the knockdown with a jab and a straight right.
Former Bellator and ONE Championship welterweight champ Askren got to his feet but the referee had seen enough, with the American wobbling.
Askren, a former Olympic wrestler for the US, retired from MMA in 2019 after back-to-back defeats against Jorge Masvidal – in five seconds, via a flying knee KO – and Demian Maia, before undergoing hip surgery.
“Just a few years ago my classmates were making fun of me,” Paul said after the fight. “I used to landscape. I just had a dream, and I chased it and I worked hard.”
