Former MMA fighter Ben Askren has branded rival Jake Paul ‘an idiot’ ahead of their fight on April 17.
The pair will meet next month in a pay-per-view event at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
Speaking to MMA Junkie Radio, Askren says he does not understand why the YouTube celebrity is so famous to begin with.
“I’m yet to get an answer that I’m fully satisfied with,” Askren said. “I don’t really get it.”
Askren recounted how the younger generation have tried to explain the reason for his fame or his brother, Logan Paul
“I don’t think there’s any good answer,” Askren said. “They’re all like, ‘He does a lot of dumb things.’ Or, ‘He says crazy stuff.’ But it’s like, OK. So? So what? There’s nothing that … I don’t know. People who I liked growing up: Chris Farley, I think he’s hilarious; Chris Rock, I think he’s hilarious; Muhammad Ali, I’m inspired by this man. People who I liked, I could name a reason why I liked that person. And with these guys, that just doesn’t seem to be the case.”
The 24-year-old Paul has two professional boxing wins to his name, against AnEsonGib - another YouTube celebrity - and former NBA player Nate Robinson. Askren is 12 years older than Paul and has had a career in wrestling and MMA before moving to boxing. He is not planning to teach his rival anything with his experience when they meet, saying: “Jake Paul’s gonna be an idiot before me, he’s gonna be an idiot after me.
“This guy’s an idiot," Askren stated. "That’s what he does. What kind of lesson? He’s too stupid to learn anything.”