Konan
01-24-2013, 09:00 PM
Karl Amoussou knows what Ben Askren is going to do. He's fine with it.
He also believes he knows what his opponent is not going to do when the two meet for Askren's welterweight title tonight at Bellator 86.
"What can Askren do to me, actually?" Amoussou asked MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) this past fall while in Orlando, Fla., shooting promotional spots for Bellator's current eighth season. "He cannot punch, and he cannot kick – so there's no way he can knock me out. He can't submit me. So the only thing he can maybe do is lay and pray. That's it.
"But even if he manages to do it for one round, I'm going to kick his ass in the next. There are five rounds, and I'll be ready for five rounds."
Amoussou (16-4-2 MMA, 4-1 BFC) challenges Askren (10-0 MMA, 7-0 BFC) in the main event of Bellator's second event of the season, which takes place at WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Okla. The main card airs on Spike TV following prelims on Spike.com.
The Frenchman is far from shy about Askren's style. Askren, one of the most elite-level wrestlers in all of MMA, makes no apologies for the way he fights. And Amoussou really isn't asking him to do so.
But that doesn't mean he has to like it. And when Askren says he believes Amoussou's chance to win comes in the first 90 seconds, and after that drops pretty much to zero, Amoussou is comfortable with the assessment.
"At least he's aware he's going to lose the fight in the first 90 seconds," he said. "He's aware of the situation, and I think it's good for him."
Askren won the first four fights of his career by stoppage. But since then, he's had six straight decision wins. Amoussou, on the other hand, has stopped three of his past four opponents on the way to winning Bellator's welterweight tournament to get a shot as the champ.
And just because Askren's never lost, let alone been finished, doesn't mean Amoussou's confidence wanes in the least that he'll be the first.
"I'm just going to finish the fight, as I'm used to doing," he said. "That's it. He's going to try to lay and pray, and he's not going to do it – he's only going to sleep."
That level of confidence from a fighter is not rare, especially one with the stopping power Amoussou has.
But what happens if Askren does as he's done to so many others – and takes Amoussou into his world of wrestling, and into deep waters later in the fight?
Well, Amoussou is confident there, as well.
"Everybody knows I'm stronger than him in the standup," he said. "I think people now know that I'm very dangerous on the ground and probably better than him. I like challenges, and I think beating him at his own game could really be a crazy thing for him – if I don't knock him out in the first 90 seconds. I really think I'll knock him out early in the fight. But if I don't knock him out so early, I'll really try to beat him at his own game."
Askren is more than a 6-to-1 favorite in the fight to Amoussou's nearly 5-to-1 underdog status.
He also believes he knows what his opponent is not going to do when the two meet for Askren's welterweight title tonight at Bellator 86.
"What can Askren do to me, actually?" Amoussou asked MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) this past fall while in Orlando, Fla., shooting promotional spots for Bellator's current eighth season. "He cannot punch, and he cannot kick – so there's no way he can knock me out. He can't submit me. So the only thing he can maybe do is lay and pray. That's it.
"But even if he manages to do it for one round, I'm going to kick his ass in the next. There are five rounds, and I'll be ready for five rounds."
Amoussou (16-4-2 MMA, 4-1 BFC) challenges Askren (10-0 MMA, 7-0 BFC) in the main event of Bellator's second event of the season, which takes place at WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Okla. The main card airs on Spike TV following prelims on Spike.com.
The Frenchman is far from shy about Askren's style. Askren, one of the most elite-level wrestlers in all of MMA, makes no apologies for the way he fights. And Amoussou really isn't asking him to do so.
But that doesn't mean he has to like it. And when Askren says he believes Amoussou's chance to win comes in the first 90 seconds, and after that drops pretty much to zero, Amoussou is comfortable with the assessment.
"At least he's aware he's going to lose the fight in the first 90 seconds," he said. "He's aware of the situation, and I think it's good for him."
Askren won the first four fights of his career by stoppage. But since then, he's had six straight decision wins. Amoussou, on the other hand, has stopped three of his past four opponents on the way to winning Bellator's welterweight tournament to get a shot as the champ.
And just because Askren's never lost, let alone been finished, doesn't mean Amoussou's confidence wanes in the least that he'll be the first.
"I'm just going to finish the fight, as I'm used to doing," he said. "That's it. He's going to try to lay and pray, and he's not going to do it – he's only going to sleep."
That level of confidence from a fighter is not rare, especially one with the stopping power Amoussou has.
But what happens if Askren does as he's done to so many others – and takes Amoussou into his world of wrestling, and into deep waters later in the fight?
Well, Amoussou is confident there, as well.
"Everybody knows I'm stronger than him in the standup," he said. "I think people now know that I'm very dangerous on the ground and probably better than him. I like challenges, and I think beating him at his own game could really be a crazy thing for him – if I don't knock him out in the first 90 seconds. I really think I'll knock him out early in the fight. But if I don't knock him out so early, I'll really try to beat him at his own game."
Askren is more than a 6-to-1 favorite in the fight to Amoussou's nearly 5-to-1 underdog status.