Fans react to Ben Askren claiming he'd step out of retirement if offered a rematch against Jorge Masvidal

"I get that you value money over integrity and legacy but your family would be embarrassed " - Fans react to Ben Askren claiming he'd step out of retirement if offered a rematch against Jorge Masvidal

By Will Miles

Published Aug 30, 2022 15:20 GMT

Jorge Masvidal (left), Ben Askren (right) [Image courtesy of Getty] — Jorge Masvidal (left), Ben Askren (right)

MMA fans have reacted after Ben Askren revealed he could be enticed out of retirement if he is offered a rematch against former rival Jorge Masvidal.

In 2019, Ben Askren faced Jorge Masvidal. Both fighters regularly talked smack to one another in the build-up. There was a sense fans were going to be in for a war when the pair faced-off in the octagon. What happened instead became a classic moment in MMA history. The two fighters immediately sprinted towards one another but 'Gamebred' caught a flying knee that KO'd Askren inside 5 seconds.

After the loss to Masvidal, 'Funky' lost to Demian Maia, retired from the UFC and moved into boxing where he was KO'd by Jake Paul.

MMA fans have reacted to the news, with one fan pleading with Askren to please never set foot inside the octagon again for the sake of embarrassment:

Chael Sonnen believes Jorge Masvidal holds leverage in a potential welterweight title fight against Leon Edwards

At UFC 278, Leon Edwards stunned the world when he defeated Kamaru Usman via a head-kick KO deep into the fifth round. The loss was Usman's first in the UFC and the first time he's been KO'd in his career.

While there were of course celebrations from fight fans for Edwards, Chael Sonnen is already thinking about what's next for the newly crowned champion of 170lbs.

Dana White has confirmed that Usman is set for an immediate rematch against 'Rocky'. 'The American Gangster' believes if 'The Nigerian Nightmare' for whatever reason can't do it, the UFC need not look any further than Jorge Masvidal.

About the author

Will began his tenure at Sportskeeda as an MMA writer over 2 years ago and has penned over 1800 pieces so far, including 35+ exclusives, which have garnered close to 5 million views.

Will graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Media and Communications from Bournemouth University, where he was also a valued member of their communications team. His degree heavily focused on social media and writing, which eventually led him toward sports writing.

He turned into an MMA fan after witnessing Conor McGregor’s 13-second TKO win over Jose Aldo at UFC 194 in 2015. The Irishman sits at the top of his list of top-five MMA fighters of all time, which also includes world champions like Demetrious Johnson, Michael Bisping, Max Holloway, and Georges St-Pierre.

Will especially enjoys working on event days and feels his contribution to Sportskeeda’s UFC 300 coverage was one of the high points of his time with the organization. He ensures his articles are accurate by going through multiple sources, which also helps his writing be as informative as possible.

His interests away from work include football, gaming, live streaming, and listening to music.

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