Jake Paul is in for a LONG night if he downplays Ben Askren's striking in the ring ... so says his training partner CM Punk, who tells TMZ Sports the ex-UFC star's gonna silence the doubters this weekend!!
36-year-old Askren is putting on the boxing gloves for the first time in his career for the huge Triller Fight Club event on Saturday... with folks questioning whether the former wrestling and MMA champ's fighting experience can translate to a W over the 3-0 YouTuber-turned-boxer.
Enter Punk -- who trained with Askren for years at Roufusport MMA Academy in Milwaukee -- and he tells us people are seriously underestimating Funky's striking.