If he gets past Jorge Masvidal at UFC 239, Ben Askren feels he could be next in line for welterweight gold.
Ben Askren believes if he gets past Jorge Masvidal at UFC 239 next month, he could leapfrog Colby Covington to receive the next welterweight title shot.
Askren (19-0) extended his undefeated record by rallying to beat Robbie Lawler in his UFC debut in March. That win placed Askren in the top five at 170-pounds. And although he was linked with fights against many names at welterweight, the 34-year-old eventually ended up with a bout against Masvidal on July 6th.
Talking to MMAFighting, Askren explained why he feels there’s a reasonable chance he could get a title shot against Kamaru Usman—if he is puts a beating on ‘Gamebred’ at UFC 239.
“To prove I’m the best in the world is the one goal that I came back for, because I was retired. I think this puts me closer to that,” Askren said. “I think the way the momentum is shifting, if I beat up Jorge Masvidal, I think there’s a good chance I get a title shot. And if not, I’m not very far away. I’m pretty darn close.”
Who else would get it, if not Askren? Former interim title holder, Colby Covington, hasn’t fought in over a year now, but is most likely to get the next shot at Usman. However, Askren feels there is a possibility Covington’s title shot could be snubbed.
“I think it is [possible],” Askren said about leap frogging Covington into title contention. “I don’t think people are too into Colby’s schtick anymore. They realize it’s old, it’s washed up, it’s just not that exciting. The guy is doing one of these things where you sit out and wait for a title fight and that is something I will never, ever do.
“How long ago was Colby’s last fight? Last June? What is this mother—ker going to sit out for 16 months and expect to get a title shot? The only way to stay relevant in this sport is to stay in there and keep getting after it. So yeah, if I go beat up Jorge, I’m going to have a lot more momentum. And if ‘Marty’ [Kamaru Usman] wants to make some money – I’m sure ‘Marty’ has a pay-per-view clause in his contract – you’re damn sure that I’m going to sell a whole bunch more pay-per-views against him than Colby would.”
UFC 239 takes place on July 6th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. A light heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Thiago Santos is expected to headline the card.