Watch: The hilarious moment Michael Buffer mispronounced Ben Askren's name before the Jake Paul fight
Ben Askren lost to Jake Paul via knockout in the opening round of their eight-round boxing bout under the Triller Fight Club banner. The event, in addition to high-profile celebrity fights, also provided fodder for memes throughout.
Veteran ring announcer Michael Buffer made a fiasco while announcing Ben Askren for the main event. Mispronouncing Askren's name, Michael Buffer said-
".....Mixed Martial Artist has arecord of 19 victories with only two defeats from Hartland, Wisconsin, USA; 'Funky' Ben Askewww."
Ben Askren barely got a chance to display his striking before getting caught with a hard right hand from Jake Paul at 1:18 of the first round. While Askren was able to get up to his feet, referee Brian Stutts deemed him unfit to go on. While Askren had protested in the ring, he didn't harbor any ill-feelings towards the referee for waving off the fight. Of the arguably controversial stoppage, Ben Askren said -
"I thought I was fine but whatever, that’s his job. If that’s what he felt, that’s what he did.”
Ben Askren is embarrassed by losing to Jake Paul
Former Bellator and ONE welterweight champion Ben Askren came out of retirement to face the YouTube star turned professional boxer, Jake Paul. While many had expected Paul to be taught a lesson by his first MMA opponent, Ben Askren wasn't even able to cross the two-minute mark of the first round.
Askren made no excuses for his loss and was embarrassed to get knocked out by Jake Paul, as he explained in his post-fight interview. Prepared for the criticism coming his way, Ben Askren said -
"It’s probably deserved. Because I got knocked out by Jake Paul. It’s f*king embarrassing. I didn’t let the MMA community down, I let the world down. People f*cking hate Jake Paul and they wanted to see me make him miserable and I didn’t do that. So I didn’t let the MMA community down, I let the world down.”
When asked if he respected his foe Jake Paul, Ben Askren replied -
"No, I don’t [respect him]. Cause I want to see him get into a fight. I’m sorry I let you down, I didn’t get into a fight with him. He hit me early. As I said, that’s when you respect someone, when you see what they’re made of."
Also Read: What is Michael Buffer's Net Worth?