Some were surprised to hear that Ben Askren agreed to box Jake Paul. Following this announcement, the oddsmakers do not favor Ben to win, and neither does Bellator President Scott Coker.
The younger of the Paul brothers had been calling for fights with everyone from Conor McGregor to Michael Bisping and more. For a brief moment it seemed that the Dillon Danis fight would be happening, with Jake bombarding the BJJ standout with water balloons and toilet paper. However in a surprising turn of events, it seems that Jake will be facing Olympic wrestler Ben Askren in a boxing match, expected to take place in March.
. @jakepaul doesn’t trust many in the media to spread the word…. I’m was told “Ben then Dillion.” pic.twitter.com/evn9WdznoA
— Chael Sonnen (@ChaelSonnen) December 22, 2020
Jake Paul Opens As A Favorite
Although it is not yet officially scheduled, the oddsmakers have already gotten to work on putting together a line for this fight. According to reports, Jake Paul is opening as a slight favorite over Ben Askren. This is not exactly surprising, consider the size advantage that Jake has, and the rather non-elite stand-up skills that Ben has shown in his MMA career.
Per @betonline_ag, Ben Askren opens as the underdog for his proposed boxing match against Jake Paul pic.twitter.com/zWQGwpCn1r
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) December 23, 2020
Scott Coker Thinks Ben Askren Will Get Knocked Out
These odds are not exactly surprising, given the aforementioned differences between Paul and Askren. This also seems to be the expectation from Bellator President Scott Coker, who explained in a recent interview that he does not think highly of Ben’s chances of being successful. In fact, he went as far as to say that he believes Jake will knock Ben out.
“I already know who’s gonna win that one,” Coker said. “Ben’s a wrestler. Let’s put it that way, right? So I think he gets knocked out in a boxing fight. But in an MMA fight, it’s a different story.”
Do you think Ben Askren and Jake Paul will fight next year? How do you see the bout going?
