If you’re a Ben Askren fan, you’ve likely been hurting for the last two years. The guy’s been part of every unflattering highlight reel online since Jorge Masvidal literally put him in an out-of-body experience in 2019.
And as we already know by now, the image of his Saturday night performance against Jake Paul only added to the Ben Askren Meme Collection. So to serve as a palate cleanser, we’re going way back to his MMA debut in 2009 against Josh Flowers.
Now, I obviously can’t speak for Flowers or any of Ben’s earlier opponents. But seeing a Napoleon Dynamite-looking fellow standing across from you inside a mixed martial arts cage may inspire a bit of confidence at first.
You see him coming awkwardly at you and you even land a clean shot. You start thinking to yourself, ‘Hey, I got this. No biggie.’
Then he starts to show up and play his game. He ends up taking you down, gets on top, stays there, and pounds on you as you lie on your belly and hopelessly cover up.
Easy work, easy win for the “Funky” one in his pro debut.
Love him or hate him, Ben Askren has his own way of getting the job done. Before three consecutive embarrassing losses, the man was at the top of his game for a full decade.
Also, he has this legacy to leave behind.
About the author
