Just days after booking the Tyron Woodley vs. Robbie Lawler rematch, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) continues to sort through some of its welterweight clutter, pitting Ben Askren against Jorge Masvidal in a 170-pound showdown that could produce the next title contender.
The pair are expected to throw down on the main card of the upcoming UFC 239 pay-per-view (PPV) event, headlined by the Jon Jones vs. Thiago Santos light heavyweight title fight, on Sat. July 6, 2019 inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Jorge Masvidal has verbally agreed to fight Ben Askren on July 6 in Las Vegas, according to sources,” ESPN’s Ariel Helwani wrote on Twitter. “UFC wanted June 8 but that date didn’t work for Masvidal. Askren tells me that date works for him, too. Hoping to finalize it shortly.”
Askren (19-0-1) made his Octagon debut at UFC 235 earlier this month in “Sin City,” defeating the aforementioned Lawler by controversial submission. Promotion president, Dana White, was hoping to run that back, but “Funky” wasn’t having it.
Masvidal (33-13) got back into the win column with an emphatic knockout win over Darren Till just a few weeks back in London, England. While his backstage soda break with Leon Edwards suggested a “Rocky” showdown, UFC will instead ask him to battle Askren.
A lot can go wrong within the next three months … keep those fingers crossed!