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Ben Askren claims Jake Paul fight purse was bigger than any other fight of his MMA career

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Saikat Banerjee
Saikat Banerjee
A wordsmith who indulges in the world of combat sports, Saikat Banerjee is an MMA, boxing, and arm wrestling content writer at The MMA India Show and The Sports Room. Apart from combat sports, he also engages in Indian sports content at The Sports India Show. Currently pursuing an MBA from Jadavpur University, Saikat's other interests lie in motorcycling, working out, and travelling.
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The recently concluded Jake Paul vs Ben Askren boxing match has become the talk of the town amongst the combat sports fandom. With a swift first-round knockout of Askren, Paul has marked the third straight win of his undefeated boxing career, although the fight result has brought up some controversy.

A former Olympic freestyle wrestler, Askren did reign supreme in both Bellator and ONE Championship as titleholder in both promotions, but his short stint in the UFC did not go well, and the 36-year-old was never known for his finesse with the sparring gloves.

All things considered, getting knocked out cold against Paul, who served the same treatment to former NBA star Nate Robinson in November last year, did not come as a surprise to the masses.

Jake Paul Vs. Ben Askren at Triller Fight Night: Photos - Rolling Stone
Ben Askren was knocked out by jake Paul in the first round on Saturday at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (Image Courtesy: Triller)

However, what can and will come as a surprise to both boxing and MMA fans is Ben Askren’s statement about the Jake Paul fight purse, as the former mixed martial artist claimed that he earned more from losing to Jake Paul in a boxing match, compared to any other fight of his decade long MMA career.

Jake Paul fight earned Ben Askren more money than his entire Bellator stint

In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani of ESPN on Monday, Ben Askren revealed that the base pay of $500,000 from the Jake Paul fight was around 30% to 40% more than he made in any one of his MMA fights.

Although Askren did not reveal how much he pocked from Saturday in total, his $500K fight purse is more than the $360K he earned during his entire stint in Bellator, where he even became the Bellator Welterweight Championship.

“What does it mean to me?” Askren replied when asked about his debut as a pugilist, “It doesn’t mean anything. A fight that doesn’t mean anything to me, the way it captured the public’s attention and everyone had an opinion on it — was so fascinating.”

Although he did draw parallels with the infamous 5-second KO he suffered against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 239, calling both losses “equally embarrassing“, the Masvidal fight still had a much more impact on Askren.

“This is a fight that had little significance in my life, and the Masvidal fight had gigantic significance,” added Askren.

While the Paul fight did not end how “Funky” wanted it to end, he did emphasize once again the cash-rich outcome and stated that he will be going back to his usual lifestyle.

“Overall, I really enjoyed myself and I made a lot of money,” Askren further asserted, “unfortunately, I didn’t get the result I wanted to. Again, Monday afterward I’m just going to go back to my regular, everyday life.”

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