Former ONE Championship titleholder Ben Askren has responded to Jorge Masvidal’s call for a boxing rematch, saying he has “zero desire” to fight anyone except Masvidal, while also indicating a preference for a rematch in the octagon rather than a boxing ring.
Ben Askren, a former ONE Championship titleholder has issued a response to Jorge Masvidal’s call for a rematch in boxing. Askren took to social media, posting a picture of himself and indicating that he has maintained an excellent level of fitness during his retirement, but expressed no interest in fighting anyone other than Masvidal. The feud started back when Masvidal, in an interview with TMZ Sports welcomed the chance of coming out of retirement only to face Askren using his fists only.
This roused Masvidal to say, “Hey, Ben. I’ll beat your ass with both hands behind my back… Look, Ben, I’ll only give you the rematch in boxing, motherf*****,” hinting at the fact Askren’s boxing skills were weak and demanding a rematch on his terms. He then went on to add, “Hey, Ben, I’ll send you right back into retirement… They shouldn’t have shown me that comment.” Caught up in the melee, Askren took this brawl to UFC President, Dana White, suggesting a rematch in the octagon would be a better idea instead of boxing, saying “Balls in your court, Mr. BMF.”
This pick up and throw in action threw Dana White right into the action, with Askren listing his wishlist, “No I’m not gonna box Jorge,” he commented, going on to suggest that if Masvidal was the real “BMF”, he would agree to a rematch in the MMA and “not be a coward.” This particular episode comes after a history between these two fighters that began four years ago where Masvidal and Askren fought a brutal match in the octagon resulting in Askren getting knocked out by Masvidal with a flying kick, giving him the UFC’s record for fastest knockouts at 5 seconds. This episode led to Askren’s retirement in 2019, only to return to the boxing ring two years later and getting knocked out in the first round by a punch from Jake Paul.
On the other hand, Masvidal faced four consecutive losses in matches up till April including a match with Gilbert Burns before quitting the octagon. Hence, the feud between these two seems far from over, with an atmosphere fit for a grudge match in the making.