Daniel Cormier Threatens To Slap Ben Askren If He Doesn’t Beat Jake Paul

Retired MMA star Ben Askren will be making his debut in the world of professional boxing against Jake Paul next month. The match is currently one of the most highly-discussed matches in recent memory.

It seems a UFC veteran really wants to see Askren win. While speaking on ESPN MMA’s DC & Helwani show, Daniel Cormier talked about the upcoming boxing match.

We are rooting for Ben Askren. I’m rooting for Ben Askren (because of) more than just the fact that we’re Olympic teammates and he’s my friend. I’m rooting for Ben Askren because Ben Askren’s going out there and representing Mixed Martial Arts against an internet celebrity. Like, Ben Askren has to get this done. And I’m not the only one. Dana White was going to bet Zab Judah a million dollars on Ben Askren!”

“So strong, bro, he (Ben Askren) is so strong. Like, people don’t realize, like, until Ben grabs you, how strong he is. And look, yeah, he lost to (Jorge) Masvidal in five seconds. But go back. Universally, people thought that was Ben Askren’s fight to lose, right? And so he got caught with a knee in like five seconds. They fight ten times, does that knee land, every single match? That fight could’ve went a lot different.”

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Cormier added that if Ben Askren isn’t able to beat Jake Paul in the match, then he will personally slap Askren.

“Ben needs to win this (Jake Paul) fight. I see Ben Askren afterwards, (if) he loses to Jake Paul, I’m slapping him…Ben Askren, you lose to Jake Paul, I’m slapping you. You’d better beat this dude. Don’t lose to Jake Paul. Go beat this dude, man. Come on, Ben. You got MMA, it’s USA wrestling, it’s everybody, we’re all watching. Everybody’s watching, Ben; everybody’s watching, Ben. And I’m telling you, I’ve spoken to a lot of people. A number of people want to slap you if you don’t get this done. So, you’d better get this fight won, man, I’m telling you

Jake Paul is scheduled to face Ben Askren on April 17 at the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia in a highly-anticipated match. We will have to see whether Paul will manage to defeat Askren.