Ben Askren tries to recover from his first professional loss tomorrow by airing on ESPN + inside Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore when he collides with fellow swordsman Damian Maia at UFC Fight Night 162 tomorrow Saturday (October 26, 2019) . In headlines bout.
The 35-year-old Askren recorded a notorious 5 second knockout loss for Jorge Mas Vidal in July. The defeat was the first of Askren's first MMA careers and was eventually shot in UFC Gold. Remember that “Funky” choked UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler last March and made a successful Octagon debut before the clash with Masvidal.
Askren went back to the drawing board and decided on a new way to UFC gold, and now finds himself in the crosshairs of the legendary Maia. The Brazilian veteran had a completely different level of risk compared to Askren's previous UFC opponents, which faced the top strikers of both divisions. “Funky” tests his elite wrestling game against one of the best submission experts in MMA history, instead of going his way in Lawler or finding a way to defend against Masvidal's authentic strike.
Askren is not afraid of tango on Maia and on the ground even if a threat of finishing exists.
Askren told MMA Fighting, “There is no fear at all about it. “I'm preparing everything because I can't aggressively participate in takedown attempts. With lobby [Lawler] Or Jorge [Masvidal]As with Demian Maia, I think if you make the wrong takedown attempt, you can pay for it.
“We need a good takedown attempt and an appropriate takedown run. If I can't run it, we may have to spend a bit more time on our feet.
Maia, 41, passed by the best known name for 170 pounds. Maia, which I mentioned earlier, like Masvidal, Gunnar Nelson, Carlos Condit, Matt Brown, Jon Fitch, Rick Story or Neil Magny, has controlled the competition since the 2012 welterweight debut. He is widely known as the best Jiu-Jitsu practitioner in Brazil. In the MMA competition, you rarely meet opponents who are willing to test their skills on the ground.
Of course he is until he meets Askren in Singapore this weekend.
"This is for the best grapple in mixed martial arts," Askren said. “I think this is right here. That's what I'm absolutely proud of. ”
A five-second knockout loss for Askvid's Masvidal can last forever, but welterweight veterans can top the top 10 in this category if they can build fashion beyond Maia. This doesn't necessarily mean finishing, but with the powerful performance of "Funky" you can get back to a title race in 2020.
Askren said, “I think we are in a good position to call others with high rankings when we win this fight.
“This is ideal, but who knows? Maybe one more time. ”
MMAmania.com offers the entire UFC Fight Night 162 match card, one round at a time, one click at a time, starting with the ETPN + “Prelims” opening match at 5 am on Saturday (click here). ESPN + main card start time is 8:00 AM (ET).
Click here for more information on this weekend UFC Singapore event.