Askren in UFC now

[mspart]

Well, Ben asked, and he received.  He is now in the UFC and from all accounts, he couldn't be happier about it.  He is off challenging everyone.  This will be interesting no doubt. 

Looks like he faces Lawler on Jan 26 at UFC 233.

mspart

[a guest]

Askren by Unanimous Decision

[mspart]

Ah, no tap out?   I don't watch MMA too much, I really don't like it when the guy is down and the guy who put him there jumps up and slams him in the head.   I just don't think that is quite sporting.  But I would like to see how Askren does on this match.

Askren was beating a guy looking at the ref to stop the match.  The ref didn't so Askren kept barely hitting the guy until the ref could see the dude was not defending.  Then the match stopped and Askren smiled at the ref.  Reminds me of when he was on his Olympic run and was in a funky exchange and looked at the ref and motioned to him that "this is my move about to happen" and then rolled the guy through although it could have looked like the other guy initiated the move.  I got a kick out of that. 

mspart

[a guest]

Won

[mspart]

Yeah, very interesting.  You can see Lawler's arm go limp and the ref is right there.  Lawler says he was fine and was waiting there a bit to wear out Askren who was squeezing hard.  But he didn't respond to the ref.  Is it possible that he went out for a brief moment and was not aware of it.   That arm drop was unnatural.  The Nevada safety folks have found no fault in the ref's decision and say he was right to do it.  Askren says he wants no rematch, he likes Lawler and didn't want to fight him in the first place. 

That slam by Lawler was pretty rough and Askren had some difficulty with him and his wrestling.  Things that Askren is used to doing didn't work on Lawler.  He was able to counter pretty well, which was impressive because Askren is pretty sneaky with that funky stuff.  But Askren finally tripped him and brought him down.  Then Lawler did something I would not have expected.  He tried to escape, turned his back on Askren who immediately sunk in the choke.  You just don't do that for that very reason.  Kind of funny really. 

Anyway, Askren is looking forward, D. White wants there to be a rematch, Lawler is not pushing for that, and Askren is not interested.  Askren and White still have some kissing up to do it sounds like.  They are clearly at odds with each other. 

I found a site that has the full match.  https://www.mma-core.com/videos/Robbie_Lawler_vs_Ben_Askren_Full_Fight_UFC_235_Part_2/10285098

mspart

[red viking]

I think the match was on youtube also but maybe it was taken off by now. Anyway, forcing a re-match wouldn't be fair. People would like to see Askren take on tougher competition. I don't see how the UFC does itself any favors by making him fight Lawlor again.

[mspart]

Agreed.  There was an earlier press event with White and Askren as well as the other fighters on the card.  Askren was  saying at that time that White would probably want a rematch until he lost.  White denied that, but Askren kept on poking.  He would be a pain if you were a verbal adversary.  Doesn't know when to quit and never does. 

mspart

[mspart]

OK, so it is now Askren vs Masvidal.  Who ya got?

I have listened to Masvidal on Joe Rogan.  Not too impressed.  I think Askren goes for takedown early and pummels him to death.  I see Lawler's mistake of turning his back on Askren as a possibility as Askren is just all over it on the ground.  I think a 2nd round victory for Askren. 

NOTICE:  This is definitely an amateur opinion.  I like Askren so I am going for him. 

mspart

[red viking]

I'll take Masvidal. Well rounded fighter. I think Askren will have a tough time getting to him and then holding him down. His conditioning (at least based upon physical appearance) seems to be sliding so I'll take Masvidal by TKO in Round 3. Should be an interesting matchup though.

[mspart]

OK, there you have it.   Two opposing opinions. 

Regarding Askren's non conditioned appearance, he has been that way forever.  Never chiseled.  But apparently really strong regardless how he looks.  Lawler, from looks alone, had nothing to fear from Askren.  But Askren won.  Askren is the anti-hero.  He doesn't look like a great one, but he has never lost an MMA bout.  This might be his first, but I doubt he is taking masvidal lightly. 

Anyway, we will see soon enough.  Jul 6!

mspart

[red viking]

I agree he has always looked that way to some extent. Just saying that he looks a little softer now than he did a few years ago. Just my impression. Not a big deal though. Maybe that just happens to some extent with age. The main issue for me though is that I just think Masvidal is a better overall fighter. Even when he loses against the very top guys he typically makes it close. 4 of his last 5 losses were against some of the top fighters in the UFC and were split decisions. Only Stephen Thompson (out of those 5) was unanimous. I haven't seen Askren against too much top-notch competition though so I admit that there is some speculation here.

[mspart]

yeah, it will be interesting to see if Askren is as good as his mouth says he is.   On the other hand, it will be interetsting to see if masvidal's  "I want to break his face" etc is going to backfire on him. 

July 6 can't come soon enough except I have a lot of yard work to do. 

mspart

[mspart]

A lot of chatter back and forth on this fight between the two.  Masvidal will not show up to the promotions and Askren laughs at his training excuse.  I wonder how the weigh in will go.  Jorge seems quite unsettled and unstable, he might lose it right there.  The fight will be over before it starts!!   And you know Askren will just be egging him on. 

I am really looking forward to this.

mspart

[mspart]

I'm wondering if Masvidal will even show for this bout.  He is fine saying he'll break Askren's face etc, but seriously, can you make it worse than it is now?  Askren seems to be supremely confident and is saying so more and more.  Now you expect that.  But he is making himself available to UFC and everyone while Masvidal is not. 

Epic gamesmanship going on here with two very different ways of handling things.  Askren predicts he'll make him submit before 15 minutes.  Masvidal just wants to break Askren's face and eliminate his being able to have posterity (even though he has kids already).  But he does punch well so Askren needs to watch for that.  Masvidal will need to be hyper vigilant for takedowns and have his defenses up. 

I'm not much of a MMA or UFC fan, but I like Askren.  I have since he was winning NCAA's.  I think he gets this thing done. 

mspart

[mspart]

Masvidal will be simple according to Askren.

“I think it’s pretty easy,” Askren explained. “He’s simple right? He’s got good hands but his wrestling’s not great. His jiu-jitsu’s not great. His strength is not great. His cardio’s not great. So when you break it down like that, it becomes pretty simple.”

https://www.mmafighting.com/2019/7/1/20677683/ben-askren-on-simple-fight-against-jorge-masvidal-blasts-delusional-nate-diaz

mspart