Ben Askren is taking a look back at his experience with Jake Paul.
Today Jake Paul is one of the most popular boxers in the world. The YouTuber turned boxer has made his way in the sport by fighting and defeating MMA fighters. He has grown in popularity and although there are many people out there that want to see him fail, he has yet to do so in the boxing ring. Paul has his next bout set already when he takes on former champion Anderson Silva at the end of October, but now one of his first opponents is speaking out.
Ben Askren was one of the first people to face Paul inside the ring. At the time Paul was known for his social media presence and for formerly being on The Disney Channel. Askren was a former MMA champion and UFC fighter who many believed would easily defeat Paul. The fight ended with Paul knocking out Askren and solidifying his career trajectory.
Ben Askren does not regret his bout against Jake Paul
Askren is now looking back on his fighting career and has decided to write a book about all his experiences. He was on The MMA Hour promoting his book and he was asked if he now regrets taking that fight against Paul, Askren said that he did not and that he does not hold many regrets in his life. He did admit that he did not expect Paul to be as good as he is showing himself to be.
“A lot of people had this, like really severe distaste for him. So the notion that he might be at least a little good of boxing is like something they can’t handle. I was hoping he sucked. I probably got the worst end of this. I was hoping he was really bad. I was gonna beat him up. That was gonna be a lot of fun and I was gonna make some money and there we go. And, you know, now he’s fighting Anderson Silva and he’s actually not that much of an underdog,” he explained. “I mean, if I told you I was gonna box Anderson Silva you’d be like, hey, Ben, you’re gonna get your ass beat. But you know, it’s interesting. Silva is really good. So, unfortunately, he is significantly better than anyone anticipated. And that was something I didn’t anticipate. I think MMA fans really struggle with that because they really, really don’t like this guy.”
Askren’s autobiography will have stories from his wrestling days up until today. It will include his time with the UFC, the fight against Jorge Masvidal, and his experience with Paul. The book will be released on Oct. 25 and is available for pre-order now.
