Ben Askren advises McGregor to face Poirier: 'Take the fight and go be happy'

B. Askren in an interview. Photo: Reproduction/YouTube ESPN MMA

Welterweight (up to 77kg.) Ben Askren advised that Conor McGregor accept the recent challenge of Dustin poirier and make his return to MMA official. After noticing the Irishman's eagerness to fight again, the North American recommended that the athlete stop trying to choose opponents and face the former interim champion, recently defeated by Khabib Nurmagomedov, and be happy. The athlete made the statement on his official Twitter account.

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“You don’t want to get crushed by Khabib again. Accept the fight against Poirier and be happy. And be more respectful of older people,” Askren said.

When mentioning the Russian, the American refers to Conor's last performance, which took place in October last year in a duel valid for the lightweight belt (up to 70,3kg). On that occasion, McGregor was dominated by his rival and ended up being submitted in the third round.

The former ONE FC champion also made a point of 'poking' the Irishman by referring to the latest controversy involving the Ultimate star, when Conor was caught attacking a 50-year-old man in a pub in Ireland. After the incident, the former featherweight and lightweight champion was harshly criticized by several people in the mixed martial arts world, which resulted in a rare moment of lucidity, where, in an interview, the Irishman admitted his guilt and said he was sorry. for the episode.

Poirier's challenge to Conor came at a propitious time for the fighter. With no fight scheduled and with most of his potential opponents scheduled duels, facing Dustin, currently second in the lightweight rankings, wouldn't be a bad deal. The American has just come out of a title fight and wants the same thing as Conor: a chance to get back to the title.

Regarding a new opportunity to show off the belt, Askren also commented that he believes it is difficult to see the 'Notorious' resuming the position of 'number one'. For Ben, fame and excessive money were bad for the athlete, who let himself be led down a path of no return.

"Let's talk seriously: Conor McGregor He made a lot of money to one day want to return to training at the level of a world champion. He's not getting any younger. Those times are long gone”, published Askren.

At 31 years old, Conor has played little in MMA. The athlete, who has 25 fights in his career, with 21 victories and four defeats, has recently been making headlines outside of mixed martial arts. The athlete has been the protagonist of controversies, including: an accusation of sexual abuse and assault.