Outside Source
Masvidal’s (37-15) flying knee knockout of Ben Askren (19-2) in 2019 will always be one of the most unforgettable moments in UFC history. Masvidal’s American Top Team teammate, Dustin Poirier, recently revealed that “Gamebred” told him before the fight that he would start with a flying knee. American Top Team coach Mike Brown even showed Poirier videos of Masvidal drilling the flying knee. “The Diamond” shared the prediction with one of his friends, who was amazed when it came to fruition.
Calling His Shot
“I met up with you and Brown the night before the fight,” Poirier said on Deep Waters. “And you were telling me, ‘Imma start this fight off with a flying knee.’ Mike is showing me videos of him doing that in the training room. He was hitting the pad, throwing the flying knee. I text one of my boys, I said, ‘Hey, he’s gonna start this with a flying knee. Boom! Five minutes later my buddy is texting me, ‘You called it.’”
Askren was traded to the UFC as an undefeated former ONE Championship and Bellator MMA champion. After a submission win over Robbie Lawler in his UFC debut, Askren was matched up with Masvidal, who was coming off an upset win over then highly touted prospect Darren Till. Masvidal lackadaisically stood with his hands behind his back before the opening bell. Both parties charged at the center as soon as the bell rang. As Askren immediately shot for a double leg, Masvidal knocked him out cold with a perfect flying knee in 5 seconds, which still remains the fastest knockout in UFC history. Masvidal’s stardom soared overnight and “Gamebred” went on to earn consecutive title shots after a victory over Nate Diaz. Meanwhile, Askren hung up his gloves following another loss against Demian Maia.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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