Ben Askren: ‘Hard to Say’ What’s Next After Submission Loss at UFC Singapore

Ben Askren entered the UFC as one of the most highly touted free agents in the sport’s history with an 18-0 record, but now he’s on a disheartening two-fight losing streak.

Askren (19-2, 1 NC) was choked unconscious in the main event of UFC Fight Night 162 Saturday in Singapore, his loss coming at the hands – and arms – of Demian Maia. Askren was caught in a brilliant rear-naked choke from the Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend and, with only six seconds left in the third, he was sent into Dreamland.

Obviously Askren was dismayed at the outcome of the fight, this coming after being smashed in just five seconds from a Jorge Masvidal flying knee in July. Askren felt like was doing well against the 41-year-old Maia, but, he said, one mistake cost him the fight.

“I was really happy with my striking,” Askren said to the UFC’s Laura Sanko after his heartbreaking defeat. “I caught him a couple of times with some really hard punches. When I did go for the takedowns, I got them pretty successfully. But I made one bad decisions and at this level, one bad decision leads to a failed outcome.”

Askren said he knows where things went south against the Brazilian and while reflecting, he lamented some of the things he didn’t do inside the famed Octagon.

“I would have liked to have gotten to the muay Thai clinch a lot more,” he said. “I was landing the punches I wanted to land. I was landing my uppercut really well. I was getting takedowns and I felt as though I won the first two rounds. When there was like a minute left in the third, I looked up at the clock and knew I had to change positions to win the round. We worked really hard in back (positions) and he’s obviously really great on the back. He’s one of the best jiu-jitsu guys ever. I was really confident, but I failed.”

In his promotional debut at UFC 235, Askren was nearly destroyed by Robbie Lawler when “Ruthless” crushed him with punches after a monumental slam onto his head. But “Funky” somehow survived and choked Lawler out moments later. But next came the loss to Masvidal and now Maia. Where Askren goes next is anybody’s guess, but he didn’t admit that he’s going to retire. However, the American wasn’t overly excited about fighting again, either. Back-to-back losses have sent the overly confident grappler into an area of purgatory.

“I don’t,” he said when asked about if he knows what will happen with his career next. “I have to go home and think about it. I was thinking about who I was going to call out of the fight but right now, I don’t know. It’s hard to say. With that being said, I’ll probably just sit back and wait and see what happens.”