Both fighters have been taking shots at each other through social media for quite some time now, but things took a decidedly different turn before the recent UFC 235 Press Conference.
In a video (which cane be seen below) obtained by Anatomy Of A Fighter, both Askren and Usman can be heard getting catty with each other.
The fighters said the following to each other during the back and forth (via MMA Fighting):
“Are me and Marty sitting next to each other?” Askren asked (UFC President Dana) White.
“Do you know me?” - Usman asked.
“Yeah.” - Askren said.
“How do you know me?” - Usman asked.
“I know you because we used to hang out. We used to hang out at the Olympic training center.” - Askren said.
“Be quiet. You don’t know me.” - Usman said.
“I offered to fight you. There’s not much more to be said there.” - Askren said.
It would not stop once the press conference began, as the verbal tirades continued by both fighters, with UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley also getting involved at times.
UFC 235 takes place on Saturday, March 2 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada with Jon Jones and Anthony Smith headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
