Former ONE Championship and Bellator welterweight king Ben Askren finally made his UFC debut. The undefeated champ had a fight with former UFC welterweight champ Robbie Lawler on Saturday night main card of UFC 235 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight that could have been a disaster for Ben Askren as seconds into first round he got a shot in for a take down. He was wacked down to the canvas which he somehow managed to absorb and recovered in time.
Ben Askren was stunned by the shocking slam and the referee was seconds away from stopping the fight but then he eventually survived that blow. Turning the tide before the end of first round he managed to snag Lawler in a bulldog choke that almost made the former champion unconscious- at least, that’s how it looked.
Though it appeared as Robbie Lawler had gone unconcious, a glance at the instant replay showed that he was still in the fight. In an instant, Askren’s incredible comeback win devolved into a very controversial moment.
UFC President Dana White, while speaking about the controversial stoppage didn’t seem too much impressed and addressed after the event;
“I think the ref made a bad decision,” White said; “That takes nothing away from the fact that he was able to get Robbie Lawler down in that position.
White further said that he hopes to book a rematch between the two stars.
“We gotta do the rematch on that one,” White said. “It’s only fair.”
“The rematch should be great.”
He doesn’t seem too impressed with Askren’s debut performance, claiming the former ONE and Bellator champ looked “rough.”
“It’s tough to come into the UFC for your first fight and shine and look great,” White said. “It’s not easy. I don’t care who you are, who you think you are, where you’ve been, or what you’ve done. This is a tough stage to come onto for the first time.”
