MMA twitter was sent into a frenzy earlier this week when former Bellator, ONE Championship and UFC fighter, Ben Askren revealed that he had been in contact with Dana White over organising a rematch with his longtime rival Jorge Masvidal.
Balls in your court mr BMF
https://t.co/zMwbUucmst pic.twitter.com/5P8qBsJhqf
— Funky (@Benaskren) July 25, 2023
Askren joined the UFC in 2019 with some serious hype behind him, an undefeated record and great success in other organisations led many fans to believe he could be one of the company’s next big stars. This is until he met Jorge Masvidal. In a fight that many believed would go Askren’s way due to the perceived difference in grappling skill, it would be Masvidal who would come out on top and create one of the most iconic and viral moments in the history of MMA. A flying knee would knock out Askren cold only five seconds into the bout. Askren would retire from the competition altogether shortly after, losing one more fight in the promotion.
Post – Flying Knee
Recently though, Askren has mentioned on numerous occasions with posts to social media and interviews that the one opponent that he would come out of retirement to face would be of course Jorge Masvidal. In response to this, Masvidal has accepted the call out however has stated that he wants the bout to be boxing rather than MMA. Askren has rejected this and stated that if Masvidal were a real “BMF” then he would accept the fight in MMA and not be a coward.
No I’m not gonna box Jorge. If Jorge was really a BMF he will accept a rematch in MMA and not be a coward. https://t.co/d9UDZsEZ1h
— Funky (@Benaskren) July 25, 2023
It makes sense that Askren would want the fight to take place under MMA rules. Even before the first match up it was known that Masvidal would have the advantage on the feet, Askren’s main weapon being of course that he possesses some of the best wrestling ever seen in MMA. A rule set that removed his best weapon would not make much sense for him to accept. Particularly as his boxing match against Jake Paul highlighted how lacking he was in terms of boxing skill.
While it is difficult to say whether this fight will be made or not given that both parties are retired a couple of things are clear and point towards the possibility the fight is made. The first point is that it is obvious that there is a real genuine dislike between both Masvidal and Askren and their shared antagonistic sentiment may provide ample enough reason to step back in the cage with one another. The other thing that we know is that Dana White is aware of the situation and is in contact with likely both parties. With Askren’s tweet confirming that he is talking with White and discussing the possibility of making the fight, it is not unreasonable to assume that the UFC president is having similar types of conversations with Masvidal.
While it would certainly take a lot for the two fighters to get back in the octagon there is a clear score that needs to be settled and likely quite a hefty financial incentive to go along with it. Watch this space and expect more developments in the future.
