Products You May Like
For yet another fight, Jake Paul secured himself a knockout against a former professional athlete who claimed that he would wipe the floor with the YouTube personality-turned-boxer. Paul knocked out former UFC fighter Ben Askren in the first round of their pseudo-celebrity bout.
While his boxing career is still young, some on social media suggested that Paul needs to increase the class of his opponent, like a boxer who is still in his professional peak — or at the very least still a pro athlete. However, a lot more of the online chatter focused on the drubbing that Askren took.
Take, for example, the fact that within moments of the fight’s end, the phrase “Ben Askew” was trending because of how ring announcer Michael Buffer introduced him. It likely would’ve trended regardless of whether the ex-UFC man won or lost, but it naturally got tweeted out a lot more as a stand-in for an insult.
Can’t get enough boxing and MMA? Get the latest in the world of combat sports from two of the best in the business. Subscribe to Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell for the best analysis and in-depth news.
Of course, if there’s anyone who is used to the kind of humiliation that comes with many on Twitter laughing at a result that went against them, it’s Askren. The 36-year-old fighter was on the receiving end of the fastest knockout in UFC history back in July 2019 when Jorge Masvidal took him out within seconds of the opening bell with a flying knee to the head. If there’s any consolation, it’s the fact that some of the heat online might have come off of Askren in favor of viewer frustration towards how long the wait was for a very short fight — some even went as far to say it was rigged.
With all that in mind, here are some of the best reactions from Paul’s knockout over his opponent, the man formerly known as Ben Askren.