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What's the story?
The last month or so in the life of Ben Askren has not been the best. He not only lost his unbeaten record in the UFC, but he also lost it in such a brutal manner, that he will take months to recover from the damage it did to his image.
Putting aside the disappointment that came attached to his loss, Ben Askren feels that the man who beat him -- Jorge Masvidal -- owes him a 'thank you'. It seems entirely unlikely that he will get one, but feels that his logic is sound.
In case you didn't know...
Ben Askren faced Jorge Masvidal at UFC 239 in what was the biggest upset of the year so far. Masvidal and Askren had been at loggerheads for some time, but at the pay-per-view, they finally came face to face.
With Askren's undefeated record going against the extreme capability that Jorge Masvidal had displayed, things were tense, but no one saw things ending the way that they did. The moment that the fight started, Ben Askren was planning to do what he did best -- takedowns.
However, Masvidal had seen it coming and had planned for it. He ran up and hit Askren on the top of the head with a flying knee, the moment Askren bent forward.
Just like that, the fight was over. Ben Askren's undefeated streak was lost, and Masvidal was down on the ground beside him, taunting and mocking him -- all in 5 seconds.
The heart of the matter
Ben Askren has been silent for the most part since his loss, but on Ariel Helwani's MMA Show, he admitted that he knew that the fight had made Masvidal popular. That's not all he said.
"I brought the best in him, So it’s fine, it’s part of the game. We were the most anticipated fight by far on the biggest card of the year. And it definitely wasn’t because Jorge decided not to show up to two different press events. It was because I made it that way. Jorge can say I’m a di***, or whatever the hell he wants to say about me, but if he wasn’t so rude, he should probably say, ‘Thank you for making me a lot of money.’" - h/t BJ Penn
Before Askren, Masvidal knocked out Darren Till as well.
What's next?
Currently, on a two-fight win streak, it really does look like Masvidal is headed on to bigger and better things.
