Jorge Masvidal: Ben Askren ‘doesn’t belong’ in UFC

Jorge Masvidal obliterated Ben Askren in a matter of seconds Saturday and said post-fight that this shows he doesn’t belong in the UFC.

A wildly accomplished collegiate wrestler, Askren won the Bellator Season 2 welterweight tournament, the Bellator welterweight championship, and the ONE FC welterweight title in a successful professional career, before moving to the UFC for his debut in cagefighting’s premier firm in March.

The 34-year-old secured a dubious win at UFC 235 when the referee Herb Dean awarded Askren a bulldog choke victory, when it later appeared that Robbie Lawler never actually tapped.

In Askren’s subsequent fight, his 20th bout as a professional, he ran into Masvidal — literally. In the opening seconds of the UFC 239 show in Las Vegas, Askren attempted a takedown, tilted his head forward, and unwittingly butted an incoming flying knee from Masvidal.

Game over.

Askren collapsed to the floor, unconscious for a number of minutes. Octagonside physicians checked on his well-being while Masvidal celebrated and showboated around him.

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After the fight, Masvidal told BT Sport that the victory was “quick,” that Askren is “not a threat,” and that he “gave him what he deserves.”

Masvidal said: “I’m just not a fan of his at all. So, um, I’m glad I did him like that to show the world that you don’t belong at this level.”

Masvidal even said Askren’s win over Lawler was not legitimate. “You’re 0-2 with the UFC, rethink your life choices and at least, challenging people’s manhoods and stuff, some mother-f—— are bad, man.”

He then said Askren’s pre-fight character, one that attempts to belittle his opponent, is at odds with who he presents himself as in a cage, one-on-one, with another man. “Towards him and guys like that, they gotta do that to boost themselves, I get it, but if that’s really you, it’ll show in the cage because they’ll fight in the cage.

“He’s not a guy that fights, you know. He puts his face in another man’s crotch and he hopes to God that the guy’ll get tired, and that’s how he wins. I can’t relate with that.”

Masvidal said the five second victory “feels great,” that he “envisioned it,” and that he was just acting out of animalistic instinct.

But the UFC boss Dana White believes it was not a five second win, more like two seconds.

“The flying knee was brilliant,” White said in a UFC segment. “The way that he set it up, the way that he did it, the way that he timed it. The execution of it was f—— brilliant.”

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“Realistically, it was a two second knockout,” White added. “As soon as the knee hit him, it should have been over. That’s the most vicious knockout I’ve ever seen. How long it took Ben Askren to get up. Nasty KO.”