‘I Am a World Class Athlete and He Is a Bum’ – Ben Askren Trashes Jake Paul

Jake Paul defeated Nate Robinson via a devastating KO on November 28, Saturday. Many boxing enthusiasts believed that the fight would go the distance, but Robinson was finished in round 2 itself. Post his enthralling win, Jake Paul called out Conor McGregor and Dillon Danis.

However, the list of opponents Paul wants to encounter extends beyond these two names. One such name in his checklist is the ‘Funky’ Ben Askren, who took to Twitter to address Jake Paul’s call out.

The host notified Ben Askren that there’s a list of six opponents that Jake Paul wants to face, and one of them is him. Even after his retirement, Askren has not missed a step. He never fails to take a dig at his rivals through social media, and this time he took a jibe at Jake Paul. His comments indicated that he would be willing to put his retirement on hold to fight the YouTube boxer.

Askren replied, “Listen, Brian, this guy is a bum… I don’t care what style I am gonna fight this guy in. I am a world-class athlete and he is a bum. I’ll just beat him just about anything there is in combat sports. So yeah, if they came to my door, offer me enough money, obviously I would do it. But, I have not heard anything official. I think he is using my name on social media that’s about it.” 

READ – Ben Askren Doesn’t Want Khabib Nurmagomedov to Ever Return to the UFC

Will Ben Askren return to MMA?

Ben Askren, 36,  has a 19-2 pro-MMA record. He was unbeaten in his previous promotions, ONE Championship and Bellator MMA. ‘Funky’ debuted with the UFC in 2019 at its welterweight division. In his very first fight, he defeated Robbie Lawler by submission in round 1.

The first loss of his MMA career came in an absolute shocker. He was TKO’ed by ‘Gamebred’ Jorge Masvidal in just five seconds of the opening round. Subsequently, the fighter went down to Demian Maia via a final round submission.

After the fight, Askren announced his retirement from the sport. He revealed that he had been facing a hip issue and would need a hip replacement. Since then, ‘Funky’ has seldom displayed his eagerness to return to the octagon. However, it’s undeniable that he wants to beat the likes of Jake Paul in any form in combat sports.

Is Ben Askren’s return to the sport worthy? What do you make of his remarks to Jake Paul?