Mike Rhodes, the former UFC veteran, and Ben Askren’s coach and training partner, believes Jake Paul messed up by wanting this fight.
On Saturday night under the Triller Fight Club banner, Paul and Askren are set to meet in a highly-anticipated bout. It has caught the attention of the combat sports world and according to Rhodes, Askren is not here for the money, instead, he’s serious about fighting and is ready to win.
“I think people think Ben is here to just collect a check,” Rhodes told MMA Junkie on Thursday about Ben Askren. “Ben is one of the most competitive people you can meet in your life. It doesn’t matter what it is, he’s competitive. … The last thing we want to do is lose to Jake Paul. If people think he’s doing this as just a joke or playing around, you’ll see the fight.”
Although Askren is far from a striker, Rhodes says he has gotten much better over 12 weeks. He knows the longer the fight goes the better it is for “Funky” as even in his MMA career he has been a slow starter. Yet, he manages to stay in the fight and start to takeover after a round or two.
Rhodes is well aware Askren doesn’t have freak power but says he’s heavy-handed and has some sting on the end of his punches. With that, the UFC vet is confident Askren will be able to have a ton of success and beat Paul and shut the YouTuber up.
“I think they messed up – I think they thought Jake was going to dominate everything,” Rhodes concluded. “I think that’s a very safe and reliable pick. If anywhere were to happen before that and it goes to a decision and we win, good.”
Who are you picking to win on Saturday, Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren?
