Former UFC welterweight fighter and Bellator champion Ben Askren has commented on the upcoming main event between Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal. The fight will headline the UFC 272 card in Las Vegas.
Askren fought Jorge Masvidal at UFC 239. It turned out to be a massive cornerstone for the latter’s career. The BMF champion knocked Askren out with a now-famous flying knee. It turned the Florida based fighter into a massive global sensation. In a recent interview, Ben pointed it out. He said,
One year ago today, Jorge Masvidal (+175) knocks out Ben Askren with this insane flying knee, breaking a UFC record by doing so in just 5 seconds. #UFC239
— Barstool Sportsbook (@BSSportsbook) July 6, 2020
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“it’s about time. Those two have had heat forever. I mean it’s about time they fought. That rivalry has been brewing for, I wanna say two, two and a half years. It has been a very long time.”
“Unfortunately, people will take offence to it but I made him a huge star. I don’t wanna say he was a nobody before that but he was kinda like a moderately popular fighter who kinda had maybe a hardcore following, but wasn’t known to a broader audience. And then the event with me happened unfortunately and he became one of the top 5 stars in the sport.”
“The Usman fights were pretty non-competetive. And he hasn’t really fought anyone else in the upper echelon of that division. So Colby is another guy in the upper echelon of the division and he loses to him I think it probably Knocks his popularity down a couple (of) levels and he has got to go low.”
What is next for Jorge Masvidal after UFC 271?
Jorge Masvidal is at a point in his career where another bad defeat may mark the end of his run in the elite level. Gamebred’s upcoming fight against Covington will be a big obstacle for his career. He can’t afford to another’s bad loss. So the question is, what happens to him after UFC 272?
If Masvidal gets past Covington, then another run for the 170 lbs title is inevitable. Especially with the champion Kamaru Usman repeatedly teasing a move to middleweight, Masvidal may have shot at fighting for the belt once again. With Khamzat Chimaev being on a rocket ship to the top of the division, a fight between the two will be treated as a super fight.
However, in the case of a defeat, Jorge Masvidal will perhaps have to take on fighters who are out of the top 5. Contenders such as Vicente Luque and Gilbert Burns are on the rise at the moment. Hence, Masvidal will act as a litmus test for youngsters similar to Donald Cerrone in the lightweight division. UFC 272 is only two weeks away and fans will have to tune in to find out what awaits for ‘Street Jesus.’