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Jake Paul is ready to trade punches with the former MMA champion, Ben Askren on April 17, 2021. The UFC veteran will face Jake Paul in an 8-round boxing match under the banner of the Triller Fight Club. According to Triller co-founder Ryan Kavanagh, the fight will be contested with 10-ounce gloves in a 20-by-20 ring.
This will be Jake Paul’s first fight against someone with real experience in combat sports. Ben Askren is a former two-time NCAA wrestling champion, two-time Dan Hodge Trophy winner, a 2008 Olympian, and a former Bellator and One Championship welterweight champion.
While Askren started his career with a perfect 19-0 record, he is perhaps best remembered for get knocked out by Jorge Masvidal in 5 seconds. Askren retired from the sport last year after undergoing hip replacement surgery, which he successfully underwent in August.
His last outing in the UFC was a submission loss to Damian Maia. Although “Funky” has a lot of combat experience under his belt, the fight against Jake Paul will mark his debut in professional boxing.
Jake Paul, meanwhile, made his professional debut last year against fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib. Paul won the fight in the first round via TKO. He followed that up with a second round knockout of former NBA player Nate Robinson on his next outing.
Jake Paul takes help from Masvidal
Jake Paul has reportedly moved to Miami as South Florida has a variety of fighters to offer who can help him prepare for Ben Askren. One of the fighters Paul takes care of Jorge Masvidal whose 5-second knockout of Ben Askren holds the UFC record for the fastest knockout. According to Jake Paul, Masvidal guides him on how to knock out Ben Asren even faster. Speaking to MMA Junkie, Paul told Mike Bohn:
“(Masvidal) said, ‘Look, Ben is going to try to hold on to you and fight, to unhook you and try to wear you out. We were just working on melee drills and indoor fights, and he was trying to show me how to knock Ben out faster than him. So we’ll see what happens. I could go run to Ben in the first two seconds to try and break (Masvidal’s record). But Masvidal is awesome. He is very supportive. He’s always been my mate and supported me, and it goes both ways. I can’t wait to see if I can knock Ben out faster than Masvidal. “
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