Jake Paul took less than two minutes to knock out Ben Askren and claim his third pro boxing win on Saturday night. In the main event of a Triller card inside of Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Paul, a social media standout who made his name on YouTube and a variety of other platforms, defeated the former UFC fighter and Bellator and ONE champion in MMA with ease — requiring even less time than it took for him to defeat former NBA player Nate Robinson back in November.
Unsurprisingly, many took to social media in the aftermath of the knockout and the rest of the Triller card to share immediate reactions to the result. From Askren himself, to his former compatriots in MMA, to Paul’s associates in his world, here’s what they had to say.
Sorry world 🙁
— Funky (@Benaskren) April 18, 2021
See, this has to stop. @jakepaul is not some scrub. He’s a pro now. Askren, even though he’s a @ufc fighter, is a grappler. Not a boxer. So why was he even in the damn ring? From now on, Paul needs to fight an actual boxer. He’s gonna hurt any non-boxer.
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) April 18, 2021
We knew Askren was not a striker but unfortunately didn’t have basics like don’t push jab and make sure to cover after punch. Credit to Paul for knowing basics; counter with a right over slow left. #TrillerFightClub #TrillerFight
— Teddy Atlas (@TeddyAtlasReal) April 18, 2021
Also credit Paul with knowing how to pick opponents. But also respecting sport and going to school to learn. #TrillerFight #TrillerFightClub
— Teddy Atlas (@TeddyAtlasReal) April 18, 2021
.@Benaskren leaving Atlanta 💰💰💪💪 pic.twitter.com/SEOj6ZPHbC
— Anthony Pettis (@Showtimepettis) April 18, 2021
Jake Paul beat a YouTuber, a pro basketball player and a UFC fighter in three consecutive fights
What a progression— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) April 18, 2021
Who paid the ref? #PaulAskren
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) April 18, 2021
Make Jake Paul vs Conor McGregor right now
— Joe Weller (@joe_weller_) April 18, 2021
Paul set it up with a jab and a straight right.
Say what you will about Paul, he has power. He has fundamentals. There’s no debating this.
The question is, who’s next and how far can this all go. So far, so good.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 18, 2021
So you’re telling me Nate Robinson did a better job 😩
— Brandon (@brandonroyval) April 18, 2021
.@jakepaul congrats on smashing the tomato can.
— Tito Ortiz (@titoortiz) April 18, 2021
Can we take a moment to appreciate that the toughest opponent that Jake Paul has faced so far…..
has been Deji 😂
— JAKE BUCKLEY 🇦🇺 (@TheMasterBucks) April 18, 2021
I guess the natural thing to do next is have @jakepaul fight a washed-up MMA fighter who can actually throw hands? @PFLMMA @triller pic.twitter.com/ecg32IFCcE
— Sean O’Connell (@realOCsports) April 18, 2021
The fact that there’s more news about PaulXAskren than WhittakerXGastelum shows you that everything is pro wrestling. Everything. Just enjoy it.
— Shayna Baszler (@QoSBaszler) April 17, 2021