Ben Askren didn’t shy away from the public eye after losing to Jorge Masvidal as he didn’t want to be compared to Ronda Rousey.
Back in July, Askren suffered the first loss of his professional mixed martial arts career in record time. “Funky” was knocked out in five seconds by Masvidal courtesy of a flying knee. While it was the type of loss that could derail a career, Askren didn’t want to crumble.
Askren Wants To Avoid Same Fate As Rousey
Many criticized Rousey for the way she handled her head kick knockout loss to Holly Holm. Rousey refused to speak with MMA media members after the defeat and she even admitted that the loss was overwhelming. Askren didn’t want to follow in those footsteps (via MMAFighting.com).
“I think that’s the worst thing you can do,” Askren said of fighters who don’t address their losses. “I mean obviously if you want to point to who did it the worst was Ronda [Rousey].
“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?’”
Askren will look to rebound from the loss to Masvidal on Oct. 26. He’s set to go one-on-one with Demian Maia in the main event of UFC Singapore.
