Jorge Masvidal doesn’t think Ben Askren should be mentioned in the same league as him.
Following his record-breaking knockout victory over Ben Askren, Jorge Masvidal has insisted he never bought into his opponent’s hype.
Masvidal knocked out Askren with a flying knee in just five-seconds at UFC 239 to record the fastest finish in UFC history. Talking on The Dan LeBatard Show, Masvidal said he and the UFC had ‘different opinions’ about Askren’s skillset before heading into the fight.
“I told the UFC officials I’m so happy you gave me an easy fight but isn’t it a step back, shouldn’t I be getting better guys?” Masvidal said about Askren. “And they were like ‘no, Ben’s the real deal’ and I go ‘OK, we’ve got different opinions, whatever, we’ll shortly find out’.
“I showed it. We’re not in the same league by any means necessary.”
Even though a rematch between Masvidal and Askren is highly unlikely to happen next, “Gamebred” said even if they did fight again Askren would always be forced to shoot for takedowns, and ultimately Masvidal has too many tools in his arsenal for Askren to deal with.
“Every time me and that guy are going to fight, he’s going to have to close the distance. It’s going to be similar outcomes every time,” Masvidal said. “Not that it’s going to be a flying knee every time but I’ve got different weapons that I’ve got prepared for him. Embrace the shot and try to take me down, it’s not going to happen. You’ve got to be slightly more sophisticated.”
“I just want to fight the best guys that there is in the world and make the most money out of it,” Masvidal stated. “Because I’m finally in the position after 16 years.”
In the same interview, Masvidal also discussed his hopes of either fighting Kamaru Usman for the UFC welterweight title or securing a big payday against Conor McGregor.