Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren Odds: Paul Opens as Betting Favorite over MMA Fighter

Jake Paul opened Friday as the favorite for his April 17 boxing match against former UFC fighter Ben Askren.

Bovada posted Paul as a -240 (5-12) favorite, while Askren is listed as a +190 (19-10) underdog despite his significant experience advantage in combat sports.

The 24-year-old Paul is best known as a YouTuber, but he has recently transitioned to boxing and has enjoyed success thus far with a record of 2-0.

Paul beat fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib by first-round technical knockout in January 2020, and he followed that up with a second-round knockout of former NBA guard Nate Robinson in November.

Askren represents Paul's toughest test yet, though, since he owns a 19-2 record as a professional MMA fighter.

The 36-year-old Askren started out as an NCAA champion wrestler at the University of Missouri before competing in the 2008 Summer Olympics. Askren then transitioned into MMA.

He held the welterweight title in both Bellator and One Championship before joining the UFC in 2019 with a career record of 18-0.

Askren beat Robbie Lawler at UFC 235 by first-round technical submission in his UFC debut, but things went south after that.

Jorge Masvidal set a UFC record for fastest knockout when he KO'd Askren in just five seconds at UFC 239. Then, Askren fell to Demian Maia by third-round technical submission at UFC Fight Night 162 in October 2019.

Askren hasn't fought since then, but he will look to return to combat sports in style.

The fact that Paul has more boxing experience than Askren and that Askren is much better known for his wrestling than his striking lends some credence to Paul being the favorite.

Askren has fought at a much higher level than Paul and beaten some quality strikers in the past, however, which suggests Askren may be the smarter bet.