Jake Paul (2-0) recently announced that his April 17th opponent will be former Bellator MMA champion Ben Askren. The pay-per-view card will be distributed by Triller, who also put on last November's Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. PPV event that featured Paul’s devastating knockout victory over former NBA star Nate Robinson. 

After the fight, Paul revealed that he would face a professional fighter in his next ring outing and Askren checks off the box with his deep MMA and wrestling background.

Askren, who retired after back to back losses in the UFC in 2019, has questioned Paul’s ability in the ring while hyping himself up, which generated a chuckle from Paul’s trainer BJ Flores.

“Ben Askren keeps talking about his Olympic credentials and his athletic ability,” Flores told BoxingScene.com. 

“First of all Jake is 100% a better athlete than Ben. He is faster, stronger, and more explosive. Jake boxes very naturally and has been in the ring with some of the very best 175 to 200 pound  prospects in the country. Jake has earned his stripes in Las Vegas over the past 12 months sparring many many top level professionals and already in Florida the word is out. This kid can fight.”

Flores believes that Askren and MMA fans will be in for a shock when he meets Paul In the ring. He said that his fighter has showed what he can do in the gym and on April 17th will prove once again what he can do in the ring. 

“Jake regularly trains and spars with some of the very best prospects in the country. The difference is night and day. Ben Askren and the entire MMA world is in for a major surprise on April 17. I’m not saying nothing else. We will do our talking April 17th on Triller. Seeing some of the Ben Askren  training footage, I will be shocked if this fight gets into the second round.”

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