ATLANTA – Ben Askren’s boxing match with Jake Paul couldn’t have been worse than for the former Bellator and ONE Championship title holder.
Askren was disappointed Saturday night, to say the least, after his fight ended in ruins when he suffered a first-round TKO loss to the YouTube star in the headliner of the Triller Fight Club at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
It was a one-sided fight, when Paul dropped a bomb from a punch that dropped Askren. He got up again, but couldn’t answer the referee intelligently, forcing him to wave it away.
Askren took part in a virtual media session after the game and was ashamed of the outcome.
“I have not disappointed the MMA community, I have disappointed the world,” Askren told reporters after the fight. “People f * cking hate Jake Paul, and they wanted me to make him miserable.”
Sorry world 🙁
– Funky (@Benaskren) April 18, 2021
Askren, 36, came out of retirement to fight Paul after a hip replacement. A former Olympic wrestler and two-time collegiate national champion, Askren was never known for his standout appearance during his MMA career.
It showed Saturday night against Paul, 24, who pushed his professional record to 3-0.