Before he ran into Demian Maia, Ben Askren had never been submitted in a fight before, and he’s putting much of the blame on himself for what went down on Saturday.
Askren and Maia clashed in the welterweight main event of UFC Singapore, a bout that was expected to be a true test of their respective grappling accolades. A two-time UFC title challenger, Maia is one of the most successful Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners ever to make the move to MMA, while Askren won his first 19 pro fights (excluding one no contest) and captured belts in the Bellator and ONE Championship promotions following a storied collegiate wrestling career.