Ben Askren responds to critics suggesting Demian Maia fight will be boring

Ben Askren will return to the Octagon later this year to take on Demian Maia.

Askren was hoping to earn a title shot with a win in his latest fight at UFC 239. Unfortunately, for “Funky” a Jorge Masvidal flying knee ruined those plans. But, as a consolation prize, when he takes on Maia, Askren will be headlining his first UFC event.

“He was one of the suggestions and I said I would love that fight,” Askren said on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show. “(October 26) yeah. It will be announced this week and the main event. It should be exciting and I’m excited for it.”

Although Maia is ranked 12th, Ben Askren believes he the Brazilian is better than that. He is on a two-fight winning streak and his past three losses were to Tyron Woodley, Colby Covington, and Kamaru Usman. So, he knows this fight should get him back into the upper-echelon of the welterweight rankings.

Yet, many are wondering if this fight will be interesting to watch. Typically, when wrestlers and jiu-jitsu fighters fight, it is not a stand-and-trade fight that many MMA fans want. But, Askren doesn’t care about it, and just wants to fight his fight and get his hand raised, regardless if it is a fan-friendly fight.

“I think there’s obviously a portion of fans who like all parts of MMA, not just those who stand and bang,” he explained. “It’s kind of a myth that that’s all people want to watch. At the end of the day, I’m a non-stand-up guy, a boring wrestler. And I’ve also been the most anticipated fight on the biggest two cards of the year. So there’s some type of myth in there.”

Are you interested in seeing Ben Askren vs. Demian Maia? Sound off in the comment section, PENN Nation!

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 8/6/2019.