Former UFC welterweight contender Ben Askren is promising a humiliating loss for YouTube star Jake Paul in their upcoming boxing match.
Askren, who went 1-2 in the UFC welterweight division and is also the former ONE and Bellator welterweight champ, is slated to battle Paul for a maximum of eight rounds on April 17.
Speaking to his social media followers on Friday, Askren promised to humiliate Paul in front of the entire world—even if his victory isn’t particularly pretty.
April 17, I can’t wait!!! @triller @jakepaul @coinflipatm @longmcarthur @rudis @roufusport @k9boxing pic.twitter.com/wpPBMROpKt
— Funky (@Benaskren) February 26, 2021
“I just sparred eight rounds, and I’ve got strength and conditioning later today,” Askren, a former Olympic wrestler, said. “It felt great. The boxing stuff is starting to come together.
“I can’t promise you it’s going to be the prettiest thing you ever saw—although my face is pretty, my combat sports usually are not, they are unique, they are different—but here’s what I can tell you,” Askren added. “You will witness the humiliation of Jake Paul. You will witness one man breaking another man’s will. And that man, Jake Paul, will give up and be humiliated in front of millions of people, live on Triller, April 17.”
While Askren is promising to humiliate Paul in front of the entire combat sports world, Paul is similarly confident in his own success.
“Ben Askren is a two-time NCAA champion, a world champion in two different global mixed martial arts organizations and has less losses on his record than Conor McGregor,” Paul told ESPN after the fight became official.
“Me, on the other hand, I started boxing two years ago and I’m still going to knock his ass out faster than Masvidal. These MMA guys think because they throw punches they know how to box. The world complained because I knocked out a basketball player and not a real fighter. So now I’m giving the people what they want by taking on a ‘real fighter.’ After Ben Askren is added to my knockout meme collection, what can anybody say? Thank you to Triller Fight Club for giving me the platform to once again put a man to sleep. April 17, it’s lights out for Askren.”
Do you think Ben Askren can make good on this promise?