When is Jake Paul vs Ben Askren? All you need to know about the upcoming fight between former UFC fighter and YouTube star

Former UFC welterweight Ben Askren is going to be the next opponent for YouTube sensation Jake Paul. The fight will take place on April 17 and will be streamed live under the Triller Fight Club banner.

Jake Paul holds a record of 2-0 as a professional boxer. The YouTube sensation turned pro-boxer has been criticized for picking neophyte boxers as his opponents. Paul fought basketball player Nate Robinson in the co-main event of the Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr. card last year.

To silence his critics, Jake Paul signed the dotted line to fight former Bellator Welterweight Champion Ben Askren.

It’s official😈. April 17th. @triller Fight Club. pic.twitter.com/eYcaTOJhlt

— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) January 26, 2021

Ben Askren held a record of 19-2 before he finally decided to put down his gloves. Askren officially announced his retirement in November 2019 after suffering two consecutive losses in the UFC.

Prior to his stint at the UFC, Askren was the welterweight champion at One Championship. He has also been at the helm of Bellator's welterweight division. Ben Askren as defeated lethal strikers like Douglas Lima in Bellator. 'Funky' uses his American freestyle wrestling to impose his will on his opponents.

Although Ben Askren has a more decorated professional fighting career, many betting lines like MyBookie.ag have Jake Paul as the favored opponent. This can be attributed to Ben Askren's wrestling oriented approach to his fights.

Why is Ben Askren going to be a tough matchup for Jake Paul?

Ben Askren's 'funky' style of wrestling is considered to be the best weapon in his arsenal. This is the reason why he faced huge criticism when he accepted the boxing match with Jake Paul. Unlike Jake Paul, Ben Askren has never showcased his skillset as an elite striker.

However, Ben Askren has never been a "hittable" opponent. He has, for the most part, managed to avoid punishment when he faced elite strikers in Bellator. Askren's relentless takedowns were followed by a barrage of strikes on his opponents.

Askren mentioned on Ariel Helwani's MMA show that he does not possess the power to knock out his opponents. Askren will consequently look to wear Jake Paul down until he submits to the relentless pressure.

“Yeah, because I don’t have a huge amount of power. So, it’d take me some time to wear him down and make him hate his life. And then, you know, eventually, he’ll just say look, ‘I’m a rich celebrity. I don’t need to get f**king punched anymore. I’m just gonna roll over’.”

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, hot damn that face is ugly!!! pic.twitter.com/G0oAZ9dza6

— Funky (@Benaskren) February 1, 2021

He knocked out my opponent @benaskren in 5 seconds and now will help me do it in less time.. @gamebredfighter is teaching me his secrets... April 17th the fight will last less than 4 seconds and then we coming for @natediaz209 pic.twitter.com/IQWeyqh5oj

— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) January 28, 2021

The feud between the two combatants seems to be heating up as both have been throwing "jabs" at each other on social media lately.