In his remarks after Jorge Masvidal’s retirement, Ben Askren was dignified.
Masvidal (35-17 MMA, 12-10 UFC) retired from fighting following his fourth straight defeat against Gilbert Burns at UFC 287 on Saturday at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, in the co-main event by unanimous decision.
Before going on a losing streak, Masvidal had a fantastic 2019, capping it off with a UFC-record knockout of Askren in only five seconds. Masvidal believed that defeating Burns would give him a shot at the championship, while Askren acknowledges that he had higher hopes for Masvidal.
“I thought Masvidal was going to come ready to fight harder,” Askren said.
“I think he looked a little bit out of shape. … Jorge got really tired as the fight went on and in the third round Gilbert was just tagging him so many times.”
“You know what? As much as I think Masvidal annoys me sometimes, I mean, I’ve always said his post-fight speech about a guy who started with nothing and made a lot of money, and he hopes he can inspire someone else to go chase their dreams,” Askren said.
“Like, I might not like Jorge Masvidal, but that’s some good stuff. So you know what? I don’t wish anyone poorly. I hope he has an enjoyable retirement.”
