Andrey Koreshkov is looking to rebound from a Bellator Championship loss to Douglas Lima in November, but it's a 2013 loss to Ben Askren that garnered an interesting response from the Russian.
Ahead of his Bellator 182 fight with Chidi Njokouani, Koreshkov spoke to Fightful about his former foe. Askren has been quick to take shots at Koreshkov via social media in the years since their initial battle, in which Askren emerged victorious.
"I think Ben Askren is a guy the whole world forgot about. He's trying to stay relevant so someone will remember who he is. If we were to fight again, it'd be a completely different fight," Koreshkov told Fightful.
Askren left Bellator MMA as Welterweight Champion in 2013 after beating the then 22-year old Koreshskov via TKO. Since, Askren has remained undefeated in his five ONE Championship fights. He would criticize Bellator booking Koreshkov against Ben Henderson, calling it a "fraud" in a Facebook video.
"I just wanted to make a Public Service Announcement. That so-called title fight that's gonna happen tonight on Bellator MMA between Andrey Koreshkov and Ben Henderson. It's a fraud. I'm sorry guys, it's not a real belt and I'll tell you why. I beat that poor Russian so bad that that should've been considered a crime in most states. I out-hit him 248-1. And I'll tell you what. Bellator should've just damn well retired that belt when I said I was leaving because the real Bellator belt is sitting right here [in] beautiful Wisconsin. So as far as I'm concerned, that title fight tonight is a fraud."
Bellator 182 takes place Friday, August 25 from Verona, New York. Fightful.com will have full, live coverage of the shows.
