Ben Askren is a former professional MMA fighter and amateur wrestler from the United States.
Early life
Benjamin Michael Askren was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on July 18, 1984.
Askren was introduced to wrestling by his father Chuck when he was six years old, but he didn’t take it seriously until he entered sixth grade and joined a club. He was a two–time WIAA state champion out of Arrowhead High School in Wisconsin during his high school career. Nationally, he finished on the podium in folkstyle, freestyle, and Greco-Roman competitions.
He was a two-time NCAA Division 1 national champion at the University of Missouri. He won gold medals at the 2005 Pan American Championship, the 2008 US National Championship, and the 2009 World Championship at the time of his non-professional career.
Career
Early MMA career
Askren made his professional MMA debut on February 7, 2009. It was sponsored by Headhunter Productions at the Holiday Inn Select Executive Center in Columbia, Missouri. Josh Flowers was knocked out in the first round with a TKO.
Askren fought in Patriot Act 2 in Columbia, Missouri for the second time. He won by arm triangle submission over Mitchell Harris.
Bellator Fighting Championships
Askren competed in the Bellator Fighting Championships Season 2 Welterweight Tournament. In his first bout at Bellator 14, Askren defeated Ryan Thomas by technical submission on April 15, 2010. The outcome of the fight was disputed since Thomas challenged the stoppage as soon as Askren let go of the choke.
At Bellator 22, Askren defeated Dan Hornbuckle by majority decision, dominating Hornbuckle for all three rounds and became the Bellator Season Two Welterweight Tournament Champion. Askren fought Bellator Welterweight Champion Lyman Good in Philadelphia on October 21, 2010.
ONE Championship
On December 9, 2013, Askren signed a two-year/six-fight contract with ONE Championship.
On May 30, Askren faced Bakhtiyar Abbasov, who was on a nine-fight winning streak, in the main event of ONE FC: Honor and Glory. Askren won the opening round by submission (arm-triangle choke).
During his time with ONE Championship, he faced numerous MMA fighters, including Nobutatsu Suzuki, Luis Santos, Nikolay Aleksakhin, and Shinya Aoki.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
On November 3, 2018, the UFC announced that it has signed Askren to a “trade UFC and One Championship agreement” in exchange for former UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson.
Askren made his UFC debut on March 2, 2019, at UFC 235, against former UFC Welterweight Champion Robbie Lawler. Askren won the bout with a bulldog choke in the first round, courtesy of a disputed stoppage by referee Herb Dean.
Ben Askren vs Jake Paul
On April 17, 2021, Askren battled YouTube star Jake Paul in a boxing match, losing by TKO following a back-and-forth on social media. Fans and fellow MMA fighters, on the other hand, questioned the match’s authenticity.
According to Triller, the fight drew at least 1.45 million pay-per-view purchases, though the figures’ veracity has been questioned by several people, including UFC president Dana White.
Records
He was a two–time NCAA Division I national champion (four-time finalist), two–time Big 12 Conference champion (four-time finalist), and the second wrestler to win multiple Dan Hodge Trophies (the wrestling equivalent of the Heisman Trophy). He was also a submission wrestling world champion.
In his career, the fighter has a record of 19-2-0,1NC. Askren has won numerous titles in wrestling, disc golf, and submission grappling. He was also a former Bellator MMA and ONE welterweight champion. Askren was also the winner of the Fight of the Night bonus once, against Demian Maia.
Professional record breakdown
| 22 matches | 19 wins | 2 losses |
| By knockout | 6 | 1 |
| By submission | 6 | 1 |
| By decision | 7 | 0 |
| No contests | 1 |
Medal records
| Representing the United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men’s freestyle wrestling | ||
| Pan American Championships | ||
| 2005 Guatemala City | 84 kg |
| U.S. National Championships | ||
| 2008 Las Vegas | 84 kg |
| Men’s Grappling | ||
| World Championships | ||
| 2009 Fort Lauderdale | -84 kg (No-Gi) |
| Collegiate Wrestling | ||
| Representing the Missouri Tigers | ||
| NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships | ||
| 2004 St. Louis | 174 lb |
| 2005 St. Louis | 174 lb |
| 2006 Oklahoma City | 174 lb |
| 2007 Auburn Hills | 174 lb |
| Big 12 Championships | ||
| 2004 Ames | 174 lb |
| 2005 Omaha | 174 lb |
| 2006 Ames | 174 lb |
| 2007 Columbia | 174 lb |
Personal Life
In 2010, Askren married Amy. Askren and Amy have three children: two daughters, Alex and Andy, and a son named Ozzi.
Amy, Askren’s wife, is a licenced real estate agent at Firefly Real Estate in Wisconsin, near Milwaukee. Amy has a finance degree from the University of Missouri and began her real estate career selling houses in Tosa shortly after. She has 25,000 Instagram followers.
Ragnor, the couple’s cane Corso, is also a member of the family.
He enjoys disc golf and competes in it. Askren finished ninth in the Amateur World Championships in 2009. He is also an investor in cryptocurrencies.
Askren co-hosts several weekly wrestling podcasts, including ‘FloWrestling Radio Live’ with Christian Pyles on FloWrestling, ‘The Funky & FRB Show’ with Front Row Brian on Rokfin, and ‘The T-Row & Funky Show’ with two-time NCAA champion Tommy Rowlands on Rokfin.
| Rеаl Nаmе/Full Nаmе | Benjamin Michael Askren |
| Nісk Nаmе/Сеlеbrаtеd Nаmе | Ben Askren |
| Віrth Рlасе | Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States |
| Dаtе оf Віrth/Віrthdау | 18 July 1984 |
| Аgе/Ноw Оld | 36 years old |
| Неіght/Ноw Таll | In Centimetres – 178 cm In Feet and Inches – 5′ 10″ |
| Wеіght | In Kilograms – 77 Kg In Pounds – 170 lbs |
| Раrеntѕ Nаmе | Father – Chuck Askren Mother – Michele Askren |
| Ѕіblіngѕ | Max Askren |
| Nаtіоnаlіtу | American |
| Маrіtаl Ѕtаtuѕ | Married |
| Wife | Amy Askren |
| Кіdѕ/Сhіldrеn Nаmе | Alex, Andy and Ozzi |
| Рrоfеѕѕіоn | Mixed martial artist and Wrestler |
| Nеt Wоrth | $10 million |
| Lаѕt Uрdаtеd | July 2021 |
Endorsements and charity
Askren makes the most of his MMA riches. Aside from that, he has hosted the RUDIS Wrestling Podcast. He is also an ambassador for Dollamur Sport.
In a charity wrestling bout on May 6, 2019, Askren faced Jordan Burroughs. Unfortunately, Askren was defeated in a humiliating manner.
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