Ben Askren hasn't shied away from his crushing defeat to Jorge Masvidal this past July at UFC 239. As you know by now, he was knocked out in a whopping 5 seconds after Masvidal anticipated that Askren would go for a takedown, and hit a running knee that knocked the previously undefeated Askren out cold.
When talking to MMAFighting, Askren was honest about the defeat and revealed why hiding was the worst possible option, an approach that Ronda Rousey took.
Askren takes a positive approach
Ahead of his big main event fight against former title challenger Demian Maia at Singapore, Askren spoke to MMAFighting about his loss and was very candid about it, saying:
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"I always feel like I want to tell my story the way I want to tell it, and if you hide in the corner, everyone else is going to talk about what you’re going to do. Listen, it happens. It’s part of the sport or even life for that matter. Losses happen. I think the best thing you can do is say, ‘That happened. What am I going to do now?’”
He admitted that hiding was the worst thing that can happen, referring to Ronda Rousey's approach after being knocked out by Holly Holm in November 2015.
“I think that’s the worst thing you can do. I mean obviously if you want to point to who did it the worst was Ronda [Rousey]."
In the same interview, Askren admitted that he wanted to wait until December to fight, but he was approached a week later with an offer to headline a card at Singapore. He also revealed that he took precautions and advice from friends who are doctors, and ensured that he is completely healthy and ready to fight this October.
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