UFC on ESPN+ 20 results: Demian Maia puts Ben Askren to sleep in Singapore

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UFC on ESPN+ 20 results: Demian Maia puts Ben Askren to sleep in Singapore

Demian Maia held his position as one of the top welterweights in the world, as he put former Bellator and ONE champion Ben Askren to sleep at UFC on ESPN+ 20 on Saturday in Singapore.

Maia and Askren met in the UFC Singapore main event, each of them looking to keep their careers alive. Maia had won back-to-back bouts after a three-fight losing skid to three of the top fighters in the division. Askren was looking to rebound from the first loss of his career, a five-second knockout courtesy of UFC 244 headliner Jorge Masvidal. 

It was Maia that continued to build momentum in the division, as he put on a spectacular performance in a battle between two of the best grapplers in the sport.

Maia came out firing, outstriking Askren in the early going, and using his distance punching to keep Askren on the outside where he is weakest. Askren kept going after takedowns, eating lots of left hands and knees to the body, but eventually got close enough to use his dirty boxing to secure a takedown at the end of the round.

It was a strong finish to the round for Askren, though Maia scrambled out of trouble before the horn.

Askren stepped up his striking game in round two, doing a good job keeping his jab in Maia’s face, slowing him down. He eventually set up another takedown in the final moments of the frame, but Maia used his time on the ground to his advantage, attacking with various submissions, including an omo plata. Askren, however, showed his tremendous grappling skills to escape Maia’s submission attempts.

Maia was severely bloodied and bruised after the round, his face showing the wear and tear of Askren’s peppering punches. It looked as if he might be fading.

Askren continued to press forward as the third round got underway, shoving his jab in Maia’s face. He closed the gap, clinched and took Maia to the canvas, landing a bit of ground and pound before the Brazilian could regain his feet.

A short time later, Askren again got Maia to the canvas, but the 41-year-old wasn’t done. He showed his grappling prowess by quickly taking Askren’s back, using his legs to lock a triangle around Askren’s midsection, and then sinking a deep rear-naked choke that put Askren to sleep.

Earlier on the UFC Singapore main card, Beneil Dariush submitted Frank Camacho with a rear-naked choke, while Cyril Gane used a heel hook to finish Don’Tale Mayes.

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UFC on ESPN+: Maia vs. Askren Results

Main Card (8 a.m. ET on ESPN+)

  • Demian Maia def. Ben Askren by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:54, R3
  • Stevie Ray def. Michael Johnson by majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28)
  • Beneil Dariush def. Frank Camacho by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:02, R1
  • Cyril Gane def. Don’Tale Mayes by submission (heel hook) at 4:46, R3
  • Muslim Salikhov def. Laureano Staropolhi by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 29-28)

Prelims (5:30 a.m. ET on ESPN+)

  • Randa Markos def. Ashley Yoder by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Rafael Fiziev def. Alex White by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
  • Movsar Evloev def. Enrique Barzola by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
  • Sergei Pavlovich def. Maurice Greene by TKO (punches) at 2:11, R1
  • Loma Lookboonmee def. Alexandra Albu by split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)
  • Raphael Pessoa Nunes def. Jeff Hughes by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

UFC on ESPN+ 20 results: Demian Maia puts Ben Askren to sleep in Singapore

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