Former ONE and Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren recently suggested a boxing match that would include Joe Rogan.
Askren, who retired from MMA after a three-fight stint in the UFC in 2019, is scheduled to box YouTuber Jake Paul on April 17 via Triller Fight Club.
While promoting the fight, “Funky” appeared on a recent episode of Food Truck Diaries, hosted by former UFC heavyweight fighter turned podcaster Brendan Schaub. During the episode, the two retired MMA fighters spoke about who Schaub would potentially fight in a celebrity boxing match.
“If you ever see me in a celebrity boxing match, life isn’t going well,” Schaub told Askren.
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Askren then asked Schaub who he would want to fight and “Big Brown” said Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
“I’m trying to make money, you know?” Schaub said. “I could go for a big star, Will Smith or The Rock. The Rock, no testing. That would be sick.” Askren then said Smith would be “told old” and “too easy.”
Schaub agreed and said, “Yeah, and if I fight The Rock, no one is going to cheer for me. Either way, the point is, I always say if I’m going to do a celebrity boxing match, that means business isn’t going well.”
Big Brown then said he views “Funky’s” bout with Paul as different than what he’s talking about.
Askren Suggested Rogan as an Opponent for Schaub, Schaub Is Best Friends With Rogan
A little later in the interview, Askren veered back into speaking about a celebrity boxing match and brought up another potential opponent for the former heavyweight fighter: UFC color commentator and podcaster Joe Rogan.
“I’m thinking of someone who might be competitive for you,” Askren said.
Schaub responded that The Rock “would be a handful” if he was “all sauced up.” Askren then said that Johnson hadn’t boxed before.
“Now Joe, maybe he could be competitive,” Askren continued. “He’s got a good background.”
“I don’t want to fight [him],” Schaub answered. “He’s one of my best friends. I don’t want to fight Rogan.”
Askren then asked Schaub if he ever boxes his friends for fun.
“Yeah, but I’m trying to knock him out,” Schaub replied. “‘Hey Joe, I know you’re swimming in money right now. You want to fight your friend on pay-per-view?’ You know what I’m saying”
Funky replied that his best friends are all wrestlers and that he has “probably tried to beat up all of them at some point in time.”
Watch the whole episode of Food Truck Diaries below:
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Askren Will Make His Professional Boxing Debut on April 17
Funky is a 19-2 professional MMA fighter that used his world-class wrestling to win multiple championships. Askren had never been known for his striking abilities, but he will put his hands to the test on April 17 when he boxes Paul (2-0 boxing).
It will be Askren’s first official boxing bout. However, he’s confident that his competition and fight experience will be too much for the YouTuber and is predicting a seventh-round knockout. victory.
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UFC Star Suggests Joe Rogan Boxing Match: ‘Might Be Competitive’