UFC Singapore: Surprisingly Ben Askren is the favorite against Demian Maia

Ben Askren takes on UFC veteran, Demian Maia in the main event of UFC Singapore. This is going to be a grappler’s paradise. Both Ben Askren and Demian Maia are two of the best grapplers in the sports at the moment. While Maia is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with numerous submission victories in UFC, Ben Askren’s ground game is second to none.

However, there are some interesting factors in this fight. Ben Askren has one win and one loss since his UFC debut. He won the fight against Robbie Lawler in a controversial fashion. However, he suffered a devastating loss against Jorge Masvidal. At the moment, fans are not sure where does Ben Askren stands among the elite fighters in UFC even if he had a ton of success in other organizations such as One FC and Bellator.

On the other hand, Demian Maia is not at the peak of his career. it’s safe to assume that this might be his last campaign for the title shot in a division stacked with some huge names. The interesting factor in this fight, Maia has lost a few matches against fighters with good wrestling. Fighters such as Tyron Woodley, Colby Covington, and Kamaru Usman have beaten Demian Maia in recent times and Askren’s wrestling is arguably better than all of them and on top of that, he is a great grappler too. However, Askren does not have a striking that is going to give any sort of trouble to Maia. Hence it’s a tough call to predict who is going to win the battle on the ground.

Surprisingly the betting gurus are leaning towards the Funky One to get the job done in UFC Singapore. Ben Askren is -165 favorite against Demian Maia(+125). (You get 100$ if you put 165$ on Askren while you get 125$ if you put 100$ on Maia).

It might be surprising for a few fans since Ben Askren is yet to prove that he can hang around with elite fighters in UFC. And against someone like Demian Maia who is battle tested in UFC, it’s not going to be an easy fight for the Funky One. However, considering his wrestling which is superior to any of the past opponents who have beaten Maia, the opening betting odds do make sense.

Career Stats:

Ben Askren: Wins/ Losses- 19/1
4 wins and 1 loss in his last five fights
1 win and 1 loss in UFC
Submission victories- 6

Demian Maia:
Wins/Losses- 27/8
2 wins and 3 losses in his last five fights
Submission victories-13