Jorge Masvidal made himself the top contender of the welterweight division and set a record in the process, knocking out Ben Askren in just five seconds at UFC 239.
Jorge Masvidal made a run at the welterweight title with knockouts over Jake Ellenberger and Donald Cerrone in 2016/2017, but was stopped on the way up by perennial top contender Stephen Thompson. After losing a second fight in a row to Demian Maia, Masvidal was put in the main event opposite rising contender Darren Till. “Gamebred” rose to the opportunity by knocking out Till in the second round in what was the best performance of his career. Coming into UFC 239, Masvidal has the opportunity to stake his claim as the number-one contender over Colby Covington.
Ben Askren was for a long time considered the best fighter outside the UFC. “Funky” won the first 18 fights of his career, defending the Bellator title and ONE Championship title several times respectively. The former Olympic wrestler made his Octagon debut this year against Robbie Lawler after being traded for Demetrious Johnson. After taking some punishment early on, Askren landed a takedown and submitted the former champion with a rare bulldog choke.
Jorge Masvidal walked to the side with swagger, then charged in and met a shooting Ben Askren with a flying knee and knocked him clean out! Masvidal landed a pair of follow-up punches and the ref pulled him off.
With just five seconds needed, Jorge Masvidal is the new owner of the fastest knockout in UFC history. Masvidal called for a title shot and said the knee was able to land because Askren is a “bum.” 16 years of work for Masvidal have culminated with an unbelievable knockout on the biggest card of the year.
Jorge Masvidal def. Ben Askren by KO (Flying Knee) in Round 1 (0:05)
Check out the rest of the results from UFC 239 here!
