‘Luckiest knee of your life’: Askren claims he ‘made Masvidal famous’ as he snaps back at former UFC foe over viral KO

Ben Askren’s boxing bout with YouTuber Jake Paul continues to drag up past rivalries, as the former MMA welterweight fired shots at Jorge Masvidal – the fighter who handed him the fastest KO defeat in UFC history.

Askren and boxing wannabe Paul are preparing to step into the ring at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atalanta on April 17 for a much-hyped contest which has been equally derided by broad swathes of the boxing and MMA fanbases.

The pair put on a feisty first press conference last week which saw former Bellator MMA and ONE Championship title holder Askren facepalm Paul after being goaded throughout by the brash social media star.

At one stage Paul FaceTimed UFC welterweight Masvidal – who is helping him prepare for the upcoming contest – as the duo both piled in on Askren.

“That dude’s still alive?” Masvidal was heard asking of the fighter he knocked out with a flying knee just five seconds into their meeting at UFC 239 in July 2019.

“Don’t worry, I’m gonna finish him off,” Paul responded.  

Paul continued to mock Askren by replaying the clip of the viral knockout even though the former wrestling standout claimed not to be bothered by it.

Continuing to rub salt into the wounds, Masvidal later tweeted: “The individual I buried does not represent MMA. He represents all the hard core and casual crotch sniffers.”

Askren has now risen to the bait, labeling Masvidal’s famous flying knee “lucky.”

“I’ve refrained for 2 years, but let’s be real Jorge. You landed the luckiest knee of your life and I made you famous,” Askren tweeted.

“You’re welcome. You got 50-43’d by Usman and will likely again next month. Beat it loser.”

The claims that Masvidal somehow got lucky with his knee strike – which he later revealed was premediated – was met with skepticism from large numbers of fans.

"You were gonna get plastered by that knee regardless, you’re as predictable as a fish outta water buddy. Learn how to not shoot on your opponent 2 seconds in, 2 fights in a row," goaded one fan. 

Others, though, sided with Askren – even claiming that eight times out of 10 he would have put Masvidal away. 

The simmering bad blood between Askren and Masvidal is characteristic of the build-up to their fight, with Miami brawler ‘Gamebred’ frequently asserting that Askren didn’t belong in the UFC ranks.

Despite the ignominy of being on the wrong end of one of the most famous KOs in MMA history – after which he was also pummeled by Masvidal while prone on the canvas – Askren had largely taken the incident in good grace.

“I thought he was a douchebag for punching me when I was unconscious, [but] it was kind of funny,” Askren said last year ahead of Masvidal’s first welterweight title fight with Kamaru Usman.

“So, yes, there is a certain authenticity to Jorge that people really, really enjoy. When people start getting fake, they start their demise.”

There has been no such reconciliation from Masvidal, however, as shown by his willingness to work with the 24-year-old Paul as he plots Askren’s downfall in the boxing ring.

Askren retired from MMA with a record of 19 wins and two losses, after suffering defeat to Demian Maia in the bout following his brutal knockout by Masvidal. 

He will be stepping between the ropes for a first professional boxing contest when he meets Paul in Atalanta. 

Paul will be fighting for the third time professionally – having seen off fellow YouTuber Ali Eson Gib and former NBA star Nate Robinson – but for the first time against a combat sports specialist. 

The event is being organized by US platform Triller, which put on heavyweight icon Mike Tyson's comeback fight against Roy Jones Jr last November, where Paul fought on the undercard.  

Masvidal meanwhile is preparing for a rematch with Usman at the top of the bill at UFC 261 in Florida on April 24, which will be the first UFC event to welcome back a full venue of fans since the Covid-19 pandemic struck.