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Ben Askren feels responsible for the further boost in Jorge Masvidal’s stock as a fighter.
Jorge Masvidal is currently on a two-fight win streak, both of which ended via emphatic knockouts. His most recent one against Ben Askren at UFC 239 in early July even set a record as the fastest in the UFC when it happened in just five seconds of action.
“Gamebred” may have just catapulted himself in front of the line of title contenders at welterweight with the win. And for that, Askren wants some props.
“I will acknowledge that I made him this popular. I brought the best in him, So it’s fine, it’s part of the game,” Askren said on the Ariel Helwani MMA Show on Monday (trasncript via MMA Mania). “We were the most anticipated fight by far on the biggest card of the year.
“And it definitely wasn’t because Jorge decided not to show up to two different press events. It was because I made it that way,”
“Jorge can say I’m a dick, or whatever the hell he wants to say about me, but if he wasn’t so rude, he should probably say, ‘Thank you for making me a lot of money,’” he added.
Masvidal did take home $200,000 for the fight, along with an additional $50,000 for Performance of the Night.