Internet personality turned pro boxer Jake Paul will face former UFC fighter Ben Askren in his next fight, taking a step up from his last clash against former NBA star Nate Robinson.
Paul and Askren will face off in an eight-round pro boxing match on April 17, Triller co-founder Ryan Kavanaugh told ESPN.
The fight will be contested with 10-ounce gloves and will mark the first pro boxing match of Askren's career.
Paul, 24, made his boxing debut in January 2020 defeating fellow YouTuber Ali Loui Al-Fakhri, via first-round TKO. He followed that up with a second-round knockout of Robinson in November. Since then he's been peppered with call outs from athletes but decided to choose Askren for his next fight, a competitor known for his wrestling skills rather than fast hands in the UFC.
"Ben Askren is a two-time NCAA champion, a world champion in two different global mixed martial arts organizations and has less losses on his record than Conor McGregor," Paul said.
"Me, on the other hand, I started boxing two years ago and I'm still going to knock his ass out faster than Masvidal. These MMA guys think because they throw punches they know how to box.
"The world complained because I knocked out a basketball player and not a real fighter. So now I'm giving the people what they want by taking on a 'real fighter.' After Ben Askren is added to my knockout meme collection, what can anybody say? Thank you to Triller Fight Club for giving me the platform to once again put a man to sleep. April 17, it's lights out for Askren."
Askren, 36, retired from MMA last year after announcing he needed hip replacement surgery. He had successful surgery in August. He's still under contract with the UFC, but received permission from the company to take the fight.
"I know Jake Paul is enjoying pretending he is a fighter," Askren said. "I think on April 17 he is going to have a rude awakening to what being a fighter is really like.
"Jake has led a privileged life and doesn't really know what the meaning of being a fighter is. I'm going to put his dreams to an end."
Askren is a 2008 Olympian, and a former Bellator and One Championship welterweight champion.
His last fight was a submission loss to Demian Maia in October 2019. He started his career a perfect 19-0 before being knocked out by Jorge Masvidal in five seconds, which is the fastest KO in UFC history.
The bout will be the main event under the Triller Fight Club banner, with the location yet to be finalised.
The full card is expected to feature familiar names from the world of boxing, social media and MMA to compete in bouts and will be announced in the coming weeks.
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