Ben Askren says fight with Demian Maia will go his way

Describing his Brazilian opponent as ‘old’, the former Bellator and ONE world champion vows to do his best to get back to his winning ways.

“I think the fight is going to go my way. And I’m going to do my best to finish him,” he told Astro AWANI when contacted recently.

The 35-year-old American also promised to not repeat the same mistake he did during his last fight, although admitting to “not learning much” from it.

“I didn’t learn much.. *laughs* but I’m just going to make sure it won’t happen again,” said Askren.

For the record, his previous encounter with Jorge Masvidal ended up with him being knocked out by a flying knee.

That vicious strike put the lights out on Askren in just five seconds into the first round.

Despite that, he is very excited to be back in the Octagon and face his opponent in Singapore.

Having been in ONE Championship and trained at Evolve MMA for a few years prior to his transfer signing to the UFC, Askren has quite a solid fan-base in South-East Asia.

“I’m excited to fight in Asia, and excited to be back,” he said.

Four-time NCAA Division I All-American, two-time national champion, and member of the 2008 United States Olympic freestyle wrestling team, Askren is one of the most decorated wrestlers in the UFC.

Undefeated prior to joining UFC, Askren debuted with a first-round submission over former UFC welterweight champion, Robbie Lawler.

Now, Askren intends to bounce back from his first loss against Masvidal by proving he is the best pure grappler in the welterweight division.

Askren will be taking on Maia at UFC Fight Night 162’s main event in Singapore, on October 26.