UFC News: Ben Askren may be in trouble if he loses his next fight

Ben Askren is all set to engage in a grappling war with Demian Maia at UFC Fight Night 162 in Singapore next week. 'The Funky One' was recently a guest on Submission Radio where he spoke about the importance of the fight.

Askren admitted that his upcoming fight is huge and a loss can land him in big trouble. Askren is coming off a brutal five-second loss to Jorge Masvidal, and another defeat on his resume would push him lower down the rung, something that he can't envision happening.

“This is huge. If I don’t get this win, I may be in trouble. I’d have to think about it. But man, if I don’t win this fight, I’m knocked way, way, way down the rung. So I don’t think that’s going to happen, but I’m gonna go in there and mix it up, and then after that, we’ll have to see where it goes.”

Askren is well-versed with Maia's fighting style. The former Bellator Champion explained how he studied Maia and even tried to copy the Brazilian BJJ's techniques while he was training Tyron Woodley.

“It’s fun because I’ve been watching Demian for years. I scouted him when Tyron fought him. I actually tried to emulate his style for Tyron to make it as believable as possible. Tyron stopped 27 takedowns, so I think I very adequately emulated Demian’s style for that fight. But yeah, he’s someone I respect a lot.”

Askren plans to mix things up and secure the top position, where he feels he can do the most damage.

“I’m preparing for a lot of positions that I think we’ll see in the fight. I’m not gonna just dive in for takedowns, but I probably will get my takedowns. I will secure top position. I think I’m a very dominant top position, and I’ll be able to stuff all of his sweeps and land a lot of damage from top.”

Askren pointed out that Maia has struggled against top wrestlers in the past and that will work in his favour when he is locked up with the Brazilian inside the Octagon.

When asked about whether a win against Maia could get him a crack at the title, Askren stated that it might get him close but it would still take a few more wins before he can challenge for the Welterweight strap.

"Demian Maia, although he’s ranked 10th (in the UFC), is one of the best guys in the division. He essentially fought Tyron in the title fight and then he kind of propelled both ‘Marty’ (Usman) and Colby to title fights. If it wasn’t directly before, it was very near that title fight realm. So here’s what I think it does: I think a win over Demian Maia puts me back up into the upper echelon of the welterweights. I think then I can call out someone else who’s very highly ranked. And then a win there puts me in that realm where I could be getting a title shot.” H/t Credit: MMAJunkie

Maia is on a two-fight win-streak while Askren is looking to bounce back after a crushing loss to Masvidal. The fight between the two grappling geniuses will be a technical masterpiece that you just can't afford to miss.

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