Askren says he'd end retirement for Masvidal rematch

Former UFC fighter Ben Askren says he would come out of retirement to fight Jorge Masvidal again.

Askren suffered the quickest knockout loss in UFC history when he fought Masvidal at UFC 239 in July 2019, with Masvidal finishing the fight in five seconds with a flying knee. Askren fought once more and then retired from MMA later that year, but he came back for a boxing match against Jake Paul in 2021.

"If (UFC CEO) Dana (White) called me and said, 'Jorge Masvidal, UFC 300, International (Fight Week),' I don't give a damn. I'm out of retirement," Askren said on Wednesday's episode of the "Funky and the Champ" podcast. "I'll fight him. I don't care."

Masvidal retired from MMA himself last April following a fourth consecutive loss. But "Gamebred" said in October that he planned to compete in a boxing match in 2024 and, more recently, hinted he was "unretired" in a one-word tweet Monday.

Askren said he would only fight Masvidal under MMA rules. "I suck at boxing," he conceded.

The 39-year-old admitted a rematch with Masvidal, also 39, is "unlikely to happen" and said he won't push for it. Askren believes Masvidal will come back to box but won't fight in the UFC again.

"He'll never say yes (to a rematch in the UFC) unless he loses some more money or something," Askren said. "But it would be great. I would love to."

"I stay in shape," Askren added. "I'm wrestling a lot. I don't strike much. I don't strike at all. I just wrestle. But I'm in good shape. If he wants to fight, great. But I'm not gonna campaign for it."