Ben Askren coming to the UFC has been the talk of the MMA forums and news sites predominantly over the past week. After it was announced that ONE was trading him for UFC flyweight GOAT Demetrious Johnson speculation was rampant over who would be his first ‘victim’. Names like Conor McGregor, GSP, and lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov were in the discussions but they turned out to be just that. The man who will welcome him in to the UFC is former welterweight king Robbie Lawler.
Robbie will test Askren’s chin if he manages to connect but that’s a BIG if. Ben mauls his opponents in a manner that breaks their spirit and sends them back to the gym to work on their take down defense. In fact he controls his opponents and keeps them on the mat so much that Dana White once said if he needed a nap he would watch Askren fight, or something to that effect. Needless to say it was a legit surprise when the trade went down.
Brett Okamoto of ESPN tweeted the news and Ben quickly responded in Askren style…
What do you think? Will Lawler connect or will it be more of the same with Ben mauling him for five rounds?