Colby Covington calls Jake Paul's KO victory over Ben Askren 'a work'
Fight fans have been buzzing over Jake Paul's first-round knockout of Ben Askren. But UFC welterweight Colby Covington clearly wasn't happy after watching the fight, implying that the bout was staged.
A few moments after Jake Paul's victory, Colby Covington took to Twitter to express his opinion, calling the Triller Fight Club main event "a work". This comes after several fans on social media similarly felt the same, claiming that Paul vs. Askren was rigged.
It took Jake Paul less than a minute to finish off MMA veteran Ben Askren, who made his pro-boxing debut. In the opening round, Paul caught Askren with a powerful right that sent the former UFC fighter to the canvas. Askren wanted to fight on, but the referee did not allow him to continue.
With the win, Jake Paul improved to 3-0, with a perfect finish rate in his pro-boxing career. However, many - including Colby Covington - do not respect Jake Paul as a legitimate boxer, given that his victories came against opponents who aren't as skilled as he is.
In his pro-boxing debut, Jake Paul fought fellow YouTuber Ali Eson Gib. In his second fight, he knocked out retired NBA guard Nate Robinson. And finally, he recently embarrassed Askren, who isn't known for his striking ability despite holding titles in Bellator MMA and ONE Championship.
What's Colby Covington up to?
Currently, Colby Covington sits at the top of the UFC welterweight rankings. He last saw action in the UFC in September 2020, beating ex-UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley via TKO. That's after failing to dethrone current UFC welterweight titleholder Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC 245.
Next Saturday, Usman will defend his crown against Jorge Masvidal in a championship rematch at UFC 261. With his recent success, Covington is the most logical challenger for the winner between Usman and Masvidal.