Ben Askren Takes Credit for Making Jorge Masvidal One of the “Top 5 Stars” of UFC

Jorge Masvidal rose to immense fame after famously knocking out Ben Askren in just five seconds. He thus holds the record for the fastest KO in UFC’s history.

Masvidal will soon fight Colby Covington at UFC 272 and this bout has already attracted a lot of attention. In the wake of such an interesting upcoming fight, Askren shared his thoughts about Masvidal’s fight with Covington. He also spoke about the fighter’s future in the promotion.

Speaking about his own fight against ‘Gamebred’, Askren said that he made Masvidal the star he is.

He said, “People will take offense, but I made him a huge star, right? It was at my expense. I don’t think he was nobody before that, but he was kind of like a moderately popular fighter who kind of had maybe a hardcore following but wasn’t known to a broader audience. And then, the event with me happened, unfortunately, and he became one of the, let’s say, top 5 stars in the sport.”

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Later on, Masvidal’s win against Nate Diaz further elevated his name and got him the title fight. However, according to Askren, the title fight against Kamaru Usman was ‘non-competitive’. He further stated that if Masvidal loses against ‘Chaos’, it would take a toll on his popularity.

What’s next for Jorge Masvidal?

His fight against Covington will be one of the biggest fights of his career and its outcome could have a huge effect on his career.

Further, it would be interesting to see how long Masvidal continues his MMA career. The 37-year-old has been fighting professionally since 2003 and has been with several promotions. He sports a 35-15-0 record.

Moreover, a fight against Leon Edwards would also be exciting. While Edwards is more interested in a title fight at the moment, seeing him and Masvidal grapple to solve their previous backstage brawl will capture a lot of attention.

UFC 272 takes place on March 5 at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas. There are several other interesting fights lined up for the event.

Do you agree with Askren‘s views on Jorge Masvidal? Let us know in the comments below.

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