UFC

LOGAN PAUL mocked Ben Askren and said anyone who thinks the retired UFC welterweight will beat his brother Jake are ‘f***ing morons’. Jake faces the former Olympic wrestler tonight in Atlanta with opinions divided on how the clash of styles and experience will unfold.
Ben Askren faces YouTuber Jake PaulCredit: Instagram @triller
Logan Paul took a swipe at retired UFC star Ben AskrenCredit: Instagram @loganpaul
But big brother Logan, 26, already has his mind made up, and referenced Askren’s physique on the scales.
He said: “I get it, guys I like Ben Askren. We like him, he’s a good guy, he’s funny, he’s entertaining, great personality.
“But if you think for one f***ing second, that this guy is going to beat my brother tomorrow, you’re a f***ing moron.
“Straight up. Like y’all thought and afterwards everyone’s going to be like, ‘Oh, we should have seen it coming’.
“No s***. You’re crazy.”
Both scaled 191lb (13st 6lb) but Paul, 24, looked significantly leaner than Askren, 36, who retired from the UFC in 2019.
The YouTuber took a swipe at his opponent’s body, and revealed he will dedicate the fight to his bodyguard Shamir Bolivar, who sadly passed away this month.
Paul said: “I see a guy who’s underestimating me, I see a guy who is taking this as a joke and I see a guy who said, ‘I have to take a s***’ during the face-off.

“This is the last 24 hours we will all have to hear Ben Askren. This one means a lot for me, this one is for Shadow.
“I don’t believe he makes it out of two rounds; look at the guy, he has a beer belly so he clearly didn’t take training camp seriously.
“We all did the talking and the entertainment s*** but now it’s time to let the fists fly.”
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JAKE PAUL has put the fight world on notice with his brash arrogance and unlimited self-confidence. Despite having only beaten YouTuber ‘AnEsonGib’ and ex-NBA star Nate Robinson, Paul has done so in style.
Jake Paul has won his first two pro fights by KOCredit: Getty Images – Getty
And the thunder he appears to be stealing from boxing and MMA’s top attractions has irked several of them.
Paul has made it clear his intention is to eventually fight UFC superstar Conor McGregor.
But next up is former MMA star Ben Askren on Saturday night.
But the internet phenomenon is not short of alternatives, and here SunSport runs down the queue waiting in line.
Dillon Danis, Bellator welterweight
If Paul, 24, can’t get hold of McGregor, 32, the next best thing would be his close friend and training partner Danis, 27.
The pair have been going back-and-forth for years, and recently confronted each other on the streets of LA.
After Paul’s last win, he said: “There’s a long list of opponents that I want – Conor McGregor, Dillon Danis. I’m going to knock them both out.”
Danis’ Bellator promoter Scott Coker recently confirmed the fight talks: “Those conversations are ongoing, and have been happening.”
Dillon Danis pictured with Conor McGregor

Claressa Shields, 3-weight women’s champion
Shields, 25, who just announced plans to debut in MMA next year, told TMZ she would more than welcome a mixed-gender showdown with Paul.
She said: “I, Claressa Shields, will whoop Jake Paul’s ass.
“He can come in the ring weighing 180lb and I will come weighing 168 and I will beat the s**t out of him.”
Paul responded in a tweet: “Don’t get me started about @Claressashields.”

Amanda Nunes, 2-weight UFC champion
Having grown tired of Paul’s online callouts of McGregor, UFC president White said to TMZ Sports : “I’m thinking of letting Amanda Nunes knock his ass out.”
To which Nunes, 32, responded: “I’m in! @ufc @danawhite.”
Paul later remarked on Instagram: “You say you don’t want me to fight Conor McGregor because he’s one of the greatest fighters in the world, and I’m just a YouTuber or whatever.
“But then, in a statement today, you say, ‘Oh, I’m thinking about having Amanda Nunes just knock him out,’ but she’s also one of the greatest fighters?”

Ben Askren, retired UFC welterweight
Askren – an accomplished grappler – announced his retirement from MMA in 2019.
And despite having never been considered a gifted striker, the 36-year-old still believes he would comfortably beat the ‘YouTube bum’.
Askren told MMA Fighting: “Jake Paul wants to box me. I don’t know, I’m not a boxer but I could beat up a bum YouTube celebrity…
“I could box some YouTube bum and get paid for it? What a tremendous livelihood.”
Tonight, we will see what Askren is made of.

Nate Diaz, UFC welterweight
The UFC veteran surprisingly leapt to the defence of his former rival McGregor, after Paul called him an ‘Irish c***’ and disrespected his fiancee Dee Devlin.
Diaz, 35, tweeted: “Jake Paul u need your ass beat for free u spoiled f*** u can’t really fight dumbs*** your gonna end up with your ass whooped for real somewhere talking like that.”
Paul fired back by telling Diaz ‘I really beat your boy up’ in a sparring session relating to the UFC star’s training partner.
He later tweeted Diaz: ‘You can get the smoke too’.

Henry Cejudo, ex-UFC champion
Cejudo announced a shock UFC retirement in May – but appears open to crossing over to boxing.
And he was left less than impressed with Paul’s KO over Robinson and claimed he would give his fight purse to charity if the YouTuber beat him.
Cejudo, 34, tweeted: “Yo @jakepaul since you really think you’re a legit fighter by beating up on retired NBA D lister’s who really deserves an academy award for best fall.
“How about we fight and if I can’t stop you I’ll give all money to charity of your choice.”
Yo @jakepaul since you really think your a legit fighter by beating up on retired NBA D lister’s who really deserves a academy award for best fall. How about we fight and if I can’t stop you I’ll give all money to charity of your choice. #dontbescaredhomie 🖊 📄 pic.twitter.com/cLXKxLtNuY— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) December 6, 2020

Antonio Tarver, retied boxing legend
Tarver called on Mike Tyson to set up a fight between him and Paul.
He has not fought since 2015, but would come out of retirement to stop the new age of outsiders venturing into the ring.
Tarver, 52, wrote on Instagram: “I really want to kick @jakepaul ass for what he did to @naterobinson last night and rid boxing of these clowns once and for all.
“He fought a complete novice so fighting me shouldn’t be a problem… @miketyson make this fight.”

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JAKE PAUL is in line to make a guaranteed £500,000 for his fight against Ben Askren. The YouTuber headlines in Atlanta tonight alongside retired UFC welterweight Askren.
Jake Paul is in line to make a guaranteed £500,000 for his fight against Ben Askren
NINTCHDBPICT000643877661-1Credit: Getty
Per the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission, Paul will clear £500,000 but his purse is expected to rise after pay-per-view sales.
Askren on the other hand is set to receive around £350,000 but again has a cut of the PPV profits.
Social media app Triller, who are promoting the box office event, are backed by billionaire film producer Ryan Kavanaugh.
Ryan Kavanaugh told SunSport in February that he expects the fight to sell over 2million PPVs.
It means Paul, 24, and Askren, 36, can expect their fight purses to rocket into the millions.
On the undercard, former WBA world champion Regis Prograis, 32, makes his return against Ivan Redkach, 35.
And interestingly, Prograis has a higher guaranteed paycheck than headliner Paul.
The American will bank near to £615,000 plus a cut of the PPV bonuses.
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But it is understood Prograis’ slice of the box office buys are not as high as Paul’s.
Also featuring on the bill is Frank Mir, who twice won UFC gold, facing former cruiserweight champ Steve Cunningham.
Mir will earn £250,000 while opponent Cunningham makes close to £110,000.
Millionaire entrepreneur Joe Fournier, 10-0 as a boxer, returns after five years out and fights musician Reykon.
Brit Fournier will pocket near to £160,000 while reggaeton star Reykon is set for almost £60,000.
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JAKE PAUL mocked Ben Askren for having a ‘beer belly’ and said the retired UFC welterweight ‘didn’t take training camp seriously’. The pair headline tonight, but went face to face for the final time as they weighed in.
Ben Askren and Jake Paul go face to faceCredit: Instagram @triller
Jake Paul weighing in for his fight against Ben AskrenCredit: Instagram @triller
Both scaled 191lb (13st 6lb) but Paul, 24, looked significantly leaner than Askren, 36, who retired from the UFC in 2019.
The YouTuber took a swipe at his opponent’s physique, and revealed he will dedicate the fight to his bodyguard Shamir Bolivar, who sadly passed away this month.
Paul said: “I see a guy who’s underestimating me, I see a guy who is taking this as a joke and I see a guy who said, ‘I have to take a s***’ during the face-off.
“This is the last 24 hours we will all have to hear Ben Askren. This one means a lot for me, this one is for Shadow.
“I don’t believe he makes it out of two rounds; look at the guy, he has a beer belly so he clearly didn’t take training camp seriously.
“We all did the talking and the entertainment s*** but now it’s time to let the fists fly.”
Paul comes into his third fight with two knockouts in as many wins since turning professional in January 2020.
But his wins have only comes against online rival ‘AnEsonGib’ and ex-NBA star Nate Robinson, 36.
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Despite the low-level competition, Paul faced the wrath of critics after he was asked to grade his skill level
He said: “I see myself as an elite fighter right now.
“A young prospect with a lot of motivation, a lot of hunger, and I think people see me as a shitty amateur.
So there’s a big difference and there’s a big gap in between where I’m actually at and what the general audience thinks.
But I’m excited again to show my ability on Saturday against Ben, who is a world class fighter.”
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CANELO ALVAREZ and Billy Joe Saunders are on course to sell out the full 60,000 capacity at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium. Canelo unifies his WBA and WBC belts with Saunders’ WBO crown on May 8 in Texas.
UFC president Dana White, Billy Joe Saunders and Eddie Hearn
Dallas Cowboys Stadium which will host Canelo Alvarez against Billy Joe SaundersCredit: Getty
With no coronavirus restrictions, promoter Eddie Hearn revealed plans to pack out the place, with 60,000 tickets almost sold.
Hearn told Yahoo Sports: “We got another six or seven thousand to go, and thankfully, we were allowed 80,000 for the Dallas Cowboys Stadium, so we’re going to be at full capacity.”
Saunders, 31, is already in America training for the fight, and visited the UFC’s Performance Institute.
There, himself and Hearn were pictured with UFC president Dana White, an avid boxing fan.
Saunders comes into the fight having boxed just once in the last 12 months, retiring Martin Murray, 38, in a title defence.
Canelo on the other hand is preparing for his third, having won the belts against Callum Smith, 30, in December, before beating Avni Yildirim, 29, two months ago.
But the Mexican superstar, 30, is admittedly gearing up for a whole new challenge in Saunders, who is unbeaten in 30 fights.
Canelo said: “He moves really well, he’s fast, he knows how to box, and that’s why I’m training.
How the two stars shape-up head-to-headCredit: The Sun

“That’s why I’m training, I know how to deal with that. I know it’s going to be a difficult fight, especially in the first rounds, and I’m getting ready for that.
“Yes, it’s different; you have to work the fight differently, and you have to be patient.
“You have to wait around round by round, but you also have to win them.
“And you can get them in the first round, eighth round, or the tenth rounds, but I’m not the same fighter I was in 2014.
“I have more experience, and I think that’ll benefit me.”
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BEN ASKREN is back in action this weekend against Jake Paul in his first ever boxing match-up. Although a relative novice himself, Jake Paul is the favourite, but Askren has plenty of fighting experience to call on should things get hairy during the bout.
Credit: Getty
Askren should also have his long-term partner and wife Amy ringside cheering him on.
Who is Ben Askren’s wife?
Askren’s wife is called Amy and is a licensed estate agent at Firefly Real Estate near Milwaukee in Wisconsin.
Amy has a degree in finance from the University of Missouri and started her career in real estate soon after, selling houses in Tosa.
She has 25,000 followers on Instagram and used to be one of two people that Paul followed on Instagram in an attempt to rile Askren.
Amy has doted over her husband’s mental strength on her own Instagram page, after listening to Askren on Paul’s brother Logan’s podcast.
Credit: Getty
“Loved listening to my roommate @benaskren on the @impaulsiveshow podcast,” she wrote.
“He really is the most mentally tough person I’ve ever met. It can sometimes be annoying when you’re feeling lazy or looking for sympathy, but mostly I’m just in awe of the guy.”
Askren married Amy in 2010 and the pair celebrated their 10-year anniversary last April.
How many children do Ben Askren and Amy have?
Askren has three children with Amy, two daughters, Alex and Andy, and a son called Ozzi.
The couple also have a dog, a cane corso called Ragnor. More

CONOR McGREGOR vs Jake Paul is ‘closer than anyone thinks’, according to the YouTuber himself.And it could even go down in the next two years.
Jake Paul has big plans for the futureCredit: Getty
Conor McGregor is currently focused on his trilogy fight with Dustin PoirierCredit: Reuters
Paul, 24, is set to fight former Bellator and ONE Championship belt holder Ben Askren on Saturday night.
But he already has a bout with internet sparring partner McGregor in mind.
The American has repeatedly insulted the Notorious, calling him an ‘Irish B****’.
And he believes that they are on a collision course.
He said: “I think we both are on a road to each other.
“He wants another boxing fight. He wants to fight Manny Pacquiao. He would get toasted. He just keeps on taking Ls.
“So I think him fighting me would not only be his money fight, but it would technically be the easiest challenge, right?
“Fighting Jake Paul would probably be easier than fighting Manny Pacquiao and it would be just as big.
Paul, 24, is determined to prove Ben Askren and Dana White wrongCredit: Getty
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“I think we’re a lot closer to a Jake Paul-Conor McGregor fight than anyone thinks. I think it could happen in the next 24 months.”
UFC chief Dana White bet one million dollars on the ‘f***ing YouTube kid’ to lose to Askren during an appearance on Mike Tyson’s Hotboxin’ Podcast.
And Paul is motivated to prove him wrong.
He added: “I’m excited for Dana White to lose a million dollars.
“But other than that, I’m going to prove millions and millions and millions of people wrong and they have motivated me to become the best version of myself over the last couple of years.”
As for McGregor’s next fight, against Dustin Poirier in July, Paul is rooting for his rival.
He concluded: “Conor’s the big name. He’s an A-list celebrity, and there are very few fighters who are A-list celebrities.
“So we’ll see what happens. I hope he wins against Dustin, I guess, so that the fight becomes more exciting.”
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