Ben Askren’s biggest downfall is that, once he steps into the Octagon, his opponents know exactly what he’s going to do.
That element of predictability cost him dearly this past Saturday at UFC 239, where ‘Funky’, a former Olympic wrestler, was knocked out just five seconds into his welterweight grudge match against Jorge Masvidal after being caught with a flying knee.
It almost cost him in his UFC debut against Robbie Lawler, too, as ‘Ruthless’ almost KO’d Askren with a highlight reel slam in the first round. Askren somehow clawed his way back into the fight and eventually submitted Lawler with a bulldog choke, but the 34-year-old was given no opportunity to recover against Masvidal.