Ben Askren on UFC Singapore fight with Demian Maia: 'If I don’t get this win, I may be in trouble'

Ben Askren thinks his back may be against the wall going into his fight with Demian Maia.

He headlines UFC on ESPN+ 20 next week in Singapore, and realizes what’s at stake on Oct. 26.

“This is huge,” Askren told Submission Radio. “If I don’t get this win, I may be in trouble.”

Askren (19-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) made his long-awaited UFC debut in March in a wild and controversial finish over former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler at UFC 235. That set him up with a fight with Jorge Masvidal at UFC 239 that could have very well been a title eliminator for him.

But he was on the receiving end of a record-breaking first round knockout loss at the hands of Masvidal in just five seconds, which put a halt to any near-term title aspirations.

For the outspoken and witty Askren, he knows the consequences of losing at this point in his career. Having come out of retirement for his UFC tenure, the 35-year-old former Bellator and ONE Championship welterweight titleholder said a loss to Maia would set him back majorly, and he might have to contemplate retirement.

“I’d have to think about it,” Askren said. “But man, if I don’t win this fight, I’m knocked way, way, way down the rung. So I don’t think that’s going to happen, but I’m gonna go in there and mix it up, and then after that we’ll have to see where it goes.”

In Maia (27-9 MMA, 21-9 UFC) two-time state champion wrestler Askren gets an interesting stylistic matchup against a jiu-jitsu ace and ADCC champion.

But it’s a familiar challenge for Askren. He was the one helping then 170-pound champ Tyron Woodley prepare for his fight against Maia in 2017. Woodley defended his title and stuffed all of Maia’s takedown attempts.

“It’s fun, because I’ve been watching Demian for years,” Askren said. “I scouted him when Tyron fought him. I actually tried to emulate his style for Tyron to make it as believable as possible. Tyron stopped 27 takedowns, so I think I very adequately emulated Demian’s style for that fight. But yeah, he’s someone I respect a lot.”

Maia’s most recent losses have come at the hands of Woodley, Colby Covington and current welterweight champ Kamaru Usman. All three of them have one thing in common: a strong wrestling background, which Askren also has.

“His only three losses at 170 are Colby, ‘Marty’ (Usman) and Tyron,” Askren said. “Those are all three pretty solid wrestlers. So he does struggle against the best level wrestler. Against other people, he’s really able to impose his will. And so obviously when you look at that recipe, I think that’s something that favors me.

“I’m preparing for a lot of positions that I think we’ll see in the fight. I’m not gonna just dive in for takedowns, but I probably will get my takedowns. I will secure top position. I think I’m a very dominant top position, and I’ll be able to stuff all of his sweeps and land a lot of damage from top.”

Askren knows a win over Maia won’t set him up for a title shot, but thinks it would strengthen his position in the rankings. Not afraid to call his shots, he sees a big fight on the horizon should he emerge victorious next week.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to get a title shot,” Askren said. “Demian Maia, although he’s ranked 10th (in the UFC), is one of the best guys in the division. He essentially fought Tyron in the title fight and then he kind of propelled both ‘Marty’ (Usman) and Colby to title fights. If it wasn’t directly before, it was very near that title fight realm. So here’s what I think it does: I think a win over Demian Maia puts me back up into the upper echelon of the welterweights. I think then I can call out someone else who’s very highly ranked. And then a win there puts me in that realm where I could be getting a title shot.”

Gallery Photos: Best of Ben Askren view 14 images

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