UFC plans fight between Ben Askren and Demian Maia, says website

B. Askren in action. Photo: Reproduction/Facebbok @benaskren

Welterweight Ben Askren is definitely not experiencing the best moment of his career. After being hired by the UFC in a negotiation that involved the former flyweight champion (up to 56,7kg), Demetrious Johnson with ONE FC, the North American suffered, in his second commitment to Ultimate, the fact of suffering the fastest knockout in the organization's history (5s). In order to try to put the athlete's name back in the spotlight, the company is studying a fight between Askren and the experienced Demian Maia. The information was released by 'ESPN' reporter, Ariel Helwani.

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“The UFC is currently discussing holding a fight between Ben Askren against Demian Maia as soon as Askren’s medical suspension ends in September, according to sources,” Helwani said.

Ben's suspension was due to the brutal knockout he suffered when he shared the octagon with his compatriot Jorge masvidal and was surprised with a flying knee in the first seconds of the fight. On that occasion, Askren, upon being hit, immediately fell to the ground and needed to be attended to by the Ultimate medical team on the battlefield and left the fight site supported by the UFC team.

The fight against Demian Maia could be seen as a great opportunity for Ben to regain prestige with the public and the organization, since the Brazilian, despite not currently having a chance to compete for the belt in the light heavyweight division (up to 77g .), carries with him respect and admiration within the MMA universe. Currently, Maia occupies 12th place in the category, while Askren is in 10th.

The crushing defeat to Masvidal meant that Ben suffered not only his first setback within the UFC, but the American suffered the first defeat of his career. Before facing Jorge, Askren, 35 years old, had 19 wins and no losses. Today, the athlete has 20 fights and one setback.