Which former MMA champion is Jake Paul fighting on April 17, 2021?

Jake Paul is all set to trade blows with former MMA champion, Ben Askren on April 17, 2021. The former UFC fighter will face Jake Paul in an 8-round boxing match under the Triller Fight Club banner. According to Triller co-founder Ryan Kavanagh, the bout will be contested with 10-ounce gloves in a 20-by-20 ring.

This will be Jake Paul’s first bout against someone with an actual background in combat sports. Ben Askren is a former two-time NCAA wrestling champion, a two-time Dan Hodge Trophy winner, a 2008 Olympian, and a former Bellator and One Championship Welterweight Champion.

While Askren started his career with a perfect 19-0 record, he is perhaps best remembered for getting knocked out by Jorge Masvidal in 5 seconds. Askren retired from the sport last year after needing hip replacement surgery, which he successfully underwent in August.

His last outing in the UFC was a submission loss to Damian Maia. Though ‘Funky’ has a lot of combat experience to his credit, the bout against Jake Paul will mark his professional boxing debut.

Jake Paul, on the other hand, made his professional debut last year against fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib. Paul won the bout in the first round via TKO. He followed that up with a second-round knockout of former NBA player Nate Robinson in his next outing.

Jake Paul is taking Masvidal’s help

Jake Paul has reportedly shifted to Miami as South Florida has a variety of fighters to offer who can help him prepare for Ben Askren. One of the fighters Paul is paying heed to is Jorge Masvidal whose 5-second KO of Ben Askren holds the UFC record for the quickest knockout. According to Jake Paul, Masvidal is guiding him on how to knock Ben Asren out even faster. Speaking to MMA Junkie, Paul told Mike Bohn:

“(Masvidal) said, ‘Look, Ben is going to try to hang onto you and wrestle you and clinch you and try to wear you out. We were just working on clinch drills and fighting on the inside, and he was trying to show me how to knock out Ben faster than he did. So, we’ll see what happens. I might go running at Ben right in the first two seconds to try to break (Masvidal’s record). But Masvidal is great. He’s very supporting. He’s always been my homie and supported me, and that goes both ways. I’m excited to see if I can knock out Ben faster than Masvidal.”