Askren tells Agilan the scary truth
ONE Welterweight World Champion Ben Askren has warned Malaysia’s Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) exponent Agilan Thani there is no way the 21-year-old will get the belt off of him come May 26 as they fight in the comain event of One: Dynasty of Heroes in Singapore.
“I’m not taking this fight lightly and Agilan, you have about four and a half weeks before you are in the cage with me so I’m going to tell you, like what I told every single one of my opponents, this is the scary truth.
“I will come across the cage and I will grab you, put you on your back and I will fight you until you ask the referee to stop me from doing so,” said Askren
The former NCAA Division I All-American fighter has not stepped foot in the cage for nearly a year after a series of drawbacks that saw him not having the chance to defend his title.
The Askren-Agilan clash has been dubbed as the second most interesting fight set to feature a Malaysian prospect in two months, the first being the Eduard Folayang-Ev Ting fight in Manila last month where Ev fell at the hands of Folayang who retained his One Lightweight Championship belt and title for a second consecutive season.
Nicknamed the Alligator, Agilan, will walk into the Singapore Indoor Stadium with a perfect 7-0 professional record with five of his seven victories ending in the first round.
Despite walking into the fight as the ‘underdog’, Agilan is convinced his strong mindset going in will help him prevail over Askren who is known for his ground work and grappling skills.
“He’s always going to do the same thing and that’s what he always says.
“I’m not worried to go to the ground with him but you have to believe in your skills as much as he believes in his grappling.”
This will be Agilan’s first five-round bout since his inception into One Championship in 2015 but insisted it won’t be an issue as he has been training for this on a daily basis. Farah Azharie