MMA Fighting<\/a> recently, Ben Askren explained that he believes a win over Jorge Masvidal could very easily put him ahead of Covington in the welterweight contendership race.<\/p>\n\u201cI think it is [possible],\u201d Askren said. \u201cI don\u2019t think people are too into Colby\u2019s schtick anymore. They realize it\u2019s old, it\u2019s washed up, it\u2019s just not that exciting. The guy is doing one of these things where you sit out and wait for a title fight and that is something I will never, ever do.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long ago was Colby\u2019s last fight? Last June? What is this mother\u2014ker going to sit out for 16 months and expect to get a title shot? The only way to stay relevant in this sport is to stay in there and keep getting after it. So yeah, if I go beat up Jorge, I\u2019m going to have a lot more momentum. And if \u201cMarty\u201d (Kamaru Usman) wants to make some money, I\u2019m sure ‘Marty’ has a pay-per-view clause in his contract, you\u2019re damn sure that I\u2019m going to sell a whole bunch more pay-per-views against him than Colby would.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a long time to sit out in your prime,” Ben Askren continued. “Colby had a minor surgery and then if you remember, Colby had the option to fight ‘Marty’ in January of this year and Colby said no and then Colby got burned on that whole deal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know why he keeps sitting out. He should have figured out that probably isn\u2019t a great strategy and went to a different strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whatever the case, Ben Askren knows that a win over Jorge Masvidal at UFC 239 will propel him to the very top of the welterweight division.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo prove I\u2019m the best in the world is the one goal that I came back for because I was retired. I think this puts me closer to that,\u201d he said. \u201cI think the way the momentum is shifting, if I beat up Jorge Masvidal, I think there\u2019s a good chance I get a title shot, and if not, I\u2019m not very far away. I\u2019m pretty darn close.\u201d<\/p>\n
Do you think Ben Askren deserves a shot at Kamaru Usman at UFC 239?<\/p>\n
This article first appeared on\u00a0<\/i>BJPENN.COM<\/i><\/span><\/a>\u00a0on 6\/18\/2019. <\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Former Bellator and ONE Championship welterweight titleholder Ben Askren is scheduled for his second UFC appearance at UFC 239 on July 6, where he’ll battle fellow contender Jorge Masvidal. It’s conceivable that the winner of this clash will get the next crack at UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman \u2014 though that would mean Colby Covington […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54430,"featured_media":304222,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[10184,22188,39610],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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