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Ben Askren defeated Robbie Lawler in his first UFC fight with a bulldog choke in the opening round of their bout at UFC 235.
A former ONE and Bellator welterweight champion, Ben Askren joined the UFC without a single loss to his record. He was known for his superior grappling technique, especially wrestling - a sport for which he even competed in the Olympics back in 2008.
Ben Askren joined the UFC under a "trade agreement" between the promotion and another fighting organization, ONE Championship. The agreement saw Ben Askren confirming a deal with the UFC while Demetrious Johnson, then-flyweight champion, leaving to compete at ONE.
The fight with Lawler was initially booked to take place at UFC 233; however, it was rescheduled to UFC 235. A contested bout even to date, it had referee Herb Dean stopping the fight believing that Ben Askren had submitted Lawler unconscious.
However, Lawler stood up right after Dean's call, protesting against the referee's decision to stop the fight. Regardless of Lawler's objections, the Nevada Athletic Commission decided to maintain the original ruling and declared Ben Askren victorious.
Following his successful debut, Ben Askren suffered the fastest knockout in UFC's history when Jorge Masvidal sent him to the canvas after connecting a flying knee only five seconds into the battle.
When is Ben Askren fighting next?
Ben Askren retired from mixed martial arts in 2019 after his third fight in the UFC, a loss to Demian Maia via rear-naked choke in the third round.
Busy investing in cryptocurrencies since then, Ben Askren was challenged by internet celebrity turner professional boxer Jake Paul for a boxing match. Paul believes that Ben Askren has no pugilistic skills and would be an easy opponent to catapult his boxing career.
The former UFC welterweight contender decided to accept the challenge, and after some hesitation from Paul's side, it was finally announced that they would face each other inside a ring on April 17.
The announcement propelled a wave of comments questioning Ben Askren's boxing abilities. Many MMA fans and experts are afraid that he can be defeated by Paul and present a bad image of professional mixed martial artists to the broader public.
A former Disney Channel actor and a full-time social media influencer, Paul started his professional boxing career in 2020. He first defeated fellow-YouTuber AnEsonGib and then former NBA star Nate Robinson - both with convincing knockouts.
Do you think Jake Paul can defeat Ben Askren in boxing? Sound off in the comments.
