Jorge Masvidal has been named Fighter Of The Year for 2019 by several media outlets. And much to many’s surprise, Ben Askren agrees with the choice.
Masvidal exploded after his record-breaking five-second knockout win over Askren earlier this year. It marked the first defeat of Askren’s mixed martial arts (MMA) career, and marked the beginning of a two-fight losing streak before “Funky” would decide to retire.
Speaking to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani on “The Ariel Helwani MMA Show,” Askren noted that, if he were being truly unbiased, he’d have to give the nod to Masvidal for Fighter Of The Year. (H/T MMA Junkie)
“I’d like to pick Israel Adesanya over him, but I think – I feel like that would be disingenuous,” Askren said. “If I have to look at it from a non-biased perspective, it’s freakin’ Jorge, and if you said that was going to happen a year ago, everyone would have said ‘You’re on drugs,’ or have some type of issue. But unfortunately, I think he deserves it.”
While Askren and Masvidal won’t be sending each other any Christmas cards anytime soon, the former ONE and Bellator welterweight champ holds no grudges.
“It doesn’t hurt me. That’s what it is – that’s the truth. That’s the reality of the situation: It doesn’t hurt at all,” Askren said. “Now, does it feel good? No, it doesn’t feel good, either. But it’s not … that’s what happened.”
What do you think about Askren admitting Masvidal deserves Fighter Of The Year honors?
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