Tyron Woodley Explains What Went Wrong for Ben Askren at UFC Singapore
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The fight between Askren and Maia was billed as the battle for the best submission artist in the world, pitting Askren’s collegiate and Olympic wrestling credentials against Maia’s numerous world championship titles in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
In the end, it was the Brazilian that got his hand raised as the two-time UFC title challenger eventually got Askren onto his back and locked in a rear-naked choke in the third round.
Askren’s Roufusport gym teammate and former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley was part of the ESPN’s post-fight crew for the event and explained what Askren could have done to avoid the choke (transcribed via MMANews.com):
“The thing about Ben, when I was looking down there yelling and screaming, if he would’ve thrown overhand rights and got his head off-line he would’ve been able to access the right leg of Demian Maia,” Woodley said. “If he would’ve thrown that shovel uppercut and got his head off-line, he would’ve avoided those punches, he would’ve got close to the front leg, which from a southpaw is gonna be his right leg. Getting to the back leg of Demian Maia is very difficult and when you go back there it’s a huge risk that you have to take, and I think that when you go for it with your head down and you’re trying to go for those strikes you put yourself in jeopardy.”
Woodley continued by saying he thought “Funky” possibly underestimated the grappling of Maia by putting himself in the position in the lead-up to the submission.
“As I said before, Ben likes to put himself in harm’s way because he knows he’s confident in getting out of it,” Woodley continued. “This time he didn’t get out of it. I think he’ll go back home, I think he’ll look at the film and I think he can get back on the horse.”
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