Welterweight titleholder Ben Askren will defend his belt against Russia’s Nikolay Aleksakhin in the One Championship 40 “Global Rivals” main event on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.
“It’s a fairly easy fight for me,” Askren told Sherdog.com.
A statement like that from most fighters would be considered trash talk, but coming from the former Bellator MMA champion and onetime Olympic wrestler, it sounds more like a confident assessment.
“I like the fight,” Askren said. “I think he’s got a nice combat sambo background, but the first guy I fought in One actually was a world bronze medalist in combat sambo; and I think their style fits right in to what I want to do -- my style.