Demian Maia showed that he still has plenty of gas left in his tank after a huge win against Ben Asrken.
Askren and Maia tussled in a welterweight clash in the headlining bout of the UFC Fight Night 162 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
The 35 year-old Askren set his UFC career in motion after being part of the first ever trade in mixed martial arts in November 2018.
In exchange of the flyweight great Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, Askren was sent to the Nevada-based promotion from ONE Championship.
Prior to this historic trade, ‘Funky’ Ben made an undefeated run at the Bellator MMA and ONE Championship en route to winning the welterweight belt.
In his UFC debut, he pulled off a stunning come-from-behind victory against former champion, Robbie Lawler, to inch closer to a title shot.
But in a devastating turn of events, Askren was sent crashing back to earth at UFC 239 after getting knocked out by Jorge Masvidal just five second into the opening round.
Grappling Battle
Askren’s opponent, Demian Maia, is a former title contender and is known for his exceptional ground game just like ‘Funky.’
The Brazilian fighter is currently riding a two-fight winning streak, beating Anthony Rocco Martin and Lyman Good respectively to kick-start a strong run back to title contention.
With both fighters known for their elite wrestling, Askren said this welterweight fight will determine the ‘best grappler in mixed martial arts.’
The welterweight pair showed some of their striking skills but it was their ground game that brought MMA fans on their feet.
When the dust settled, it was the 41-year old Brazilian who came out on top as he submitted Askren in the third round, to stretch his winning streak to three fights.
Askren, meanwhile, is now 1-2 in the UFC as he suffered another brutal loss after absorbing the fastest finish last July.
Check out the UFC Singapore full results below (via MMA Fighting):
Main Card
Demian Maia def. Ben Askren via submission (rear-naked choke) (R3, 3:54)
Stevie Ray def. Michael Johnson via majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28)
Beneil Dariush def. Frank Camacho via submission (rear-naked choke) (R1, 2:02)
Ciryl Gane def. Don’Tale Mayes via submission (heel hook) (R3, 4:46)
Muslim Salikhov def. Laureano Staropoli via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 29-28)
Preliminary Card
Randa Markos def. Ashley Yoder via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Rafael Fiziev def. Alex White via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Movsar Evloev def. Enrique Barzola via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Sergei Pavlovich def. Maurice Greene via TKO (punches) (R1, 2:11)
Loma Lookboonmee def. Alexandra Albu via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)
Raphael Pessoa Nunes def. Jeff Hughes via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
(Featured Image Source: Instagram/ Ben Askren and Demian Maia)