Askren says he intends to handle defeats better than Ronda Rousey

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

Former ONE FC and Bellator champion Ben Askren is working on his mental health to overcome the tough defeat he suffered against Jorge masvidal No. UFC 239. On that occasion, in addition to losing his unbeaten record in his career, the athlete was responsible for suffering the fastest knockout in the history of Ultimate. On the subject, the North American stated that he intends not to follow in the footsteps of Ronda Rousey, which, when defeated by Holly holm (2015) and Amanda nunes (2016), preferred silence to speaking out to the press and fans. The statement was made in an interview with 'MMA Fighting'.

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“I think that's the worst thing you can do (isolate yourself). I mean, obviously, if you want to point to the one who did the worst it was Ronda (Rousey),” Ben said.

The athlete also argued about how behavior with the people around can positively influence how to overcome loss. For him, defeat is part of the MMA universe and the fighter must be prepared to overcome it.

“I always feel like I want to tell my story my way. If you hide in the corner, everyone will talk about what you are going to do. Look, this happens. It's part of sport or even life. Losses happen. I think the best thing you can do is say, 'This happened. What am I going to do now?”, said Askren.

After losing the Holly belt, Ronda isolated herself and reemerged a year later as a challenger for Amanda nunes, which already held the title. At the time, at UFC 207, the legendary fighter showed that she was not 100% recovered and ended up suffering a hard knockout from the 'Leoa' in the first round.

The event also ended up marking the last fight of Ronda's career.

Askren, after the defeat, acted quickly and accepted to be part of the UFC Singapore, which takes place on October 26th. The North American will face Demian Maia in the main fight of the card. Ben needs the victory to return to the welterweight spotlight and once again dream of a future title shot.