Jake Paul put the insurance industry on blast, and Dana White by proxy, in showing support for Ben Askren, who is amid a trying health scare. ‘The Problem Child’ shouted out the former ONE Championship and Bellator MMA titleholder during his in-ring address following his win over the weekend against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Paul spotlighted a situation that saw Askren in need of a double lung transplant, which Askren has since received per his wife Amy, with the former two time Hodge Trophy winner being denied key coverage from his insurance amid this situation. Donation options had been set up for this Askren situation in lieu of the insurance issues, with Paul also indicating before his Chavez Jr. fight that he wanted to help the Askren family in any way he might be able to.
When addressing his post-fight spotlighting of Ben Askren at the post-event press conference while also taking shots at the US insurance industry and UFC figurehead Dana White, Paul said,
“It’s just insane—insurance is a f***in scam, and it’s so sad. Right when you need these companies, they’re not there. It’s f***ed. His insurance denied him to get the double lung transplant, which is also one of the most expensive surgeries, which is why they denied it. It just sucks. It sucks that no one’s doing anything. I was obviously super busy this week, so we’re figuring out the donation now, but none of these people—like Dana [White] or anyone—are stepping in, so I feel like I have to do something. That’s really all it is.”
Jake Paul and Ben Askren: from rivals to paying tribute
Jake Paul and Ben Askren do have a competitive history with one another as the two stepped into the ring for one of the more curious boxing attractions of the modern era when they threw down in April 2021. Paul vs Askren took place in Atlanta under the Triller Fight Club banner with the former knocking out the latter in the opening stanza.
This improved Paul’s pro boxing record at the time to 3-0, with the Askren victory representing his first recorded win over a professional fighter. It seems like this recent gesture of good faith from Paul to Askren has dispelled any idea that there is still animosity between the two.
