Ben Askren News

Cole Shelton - May 16, 2019

Kevin Lee is moving up to welterweight to take on the former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in the main event of UFC Rochester this Saturday. Although “The Motown Phenom” is moving up in weight he is not done for good in the lightweight division. Instead, he has hopes of fighting a few lightweights in particular before his career is over.

Drake Riggs - May 9, 2019

This past Monday night in New York City, a very special event was held in the world of wrestling. It was Beat the Streets 2019 and in the main event, we saw two of the sports’ all-time greatest competitors square off for the very first time. On one side, it was the ‘Funky’ undefeated former Bellator and ONE Championship welterweight champion, Ben Askren who has firmly established himself as one of the greatest wrestlers in MMA history.

Cole Shelton - May 9, 2019

Ben Askren and Jorge Masvidal will finally settle their feud at UFC 239, during International Fight Week. The two have gone back-and-forth on social media, trash-talking each other . It first started when Askren went to London to pick a fight against the winner of Darren Till vs. Jorge Masvidal. Now that the two are set to fight, the rivalry has only gotten more heated. Masvidal went on the Joe Rogan Experience and explained what he plans to do to Askren.

Tom Taylor - May 8, 2019

It’s been awhile since we’ve heard from former Bellator boss Bjorn Rebney. He’s been quiet ever since it was announced he’d be working with the seemingly defunct Mixed Martial Arts Athletes Association (MMAAA) in 2016. Apparently, however, the former Bellator chief has been in contact with former Bellator welterweight champ Ben Askren, who is now making waves in the UFC welterweight division.  Speaking on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday, Askren divulged that he received a message from Rebney shortly after he submitted Robbie Lawler in his first UFC bout. 

Drake Riggs - May 6, 2019

Ahead of his big potential No. 1 welterweight contender match-up with Jorge Masvidal at UFC 239 in July, Ben Askren challenged himself by getting back on the mats against one of the best wrestlers of this or any era, Jordan Burroughs. The two would meet inside Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater in New York City for the Beat the Streets 2019 charity event. As one of the greatest wrestlers in the history of MMA, the undefeated “Funky” Askren vs someone of Burroughs’ caliber was the definition of a dream wrestling match as the 30-year old has won a gold medal in essentially every competition that he’s been a part of. But the University of Missouri alumni in Askren doesn’t have the worst wrestling credentials either (obviously).

Tom Taylor - April 30, 2019

As the former ONE Championship and Bellator welterweight king, and one of the top contenders in the UFC welterweight division, Ben Askren has already accomplished some incredible things as a fighter. But what could he accomplish if he worked on the other side of the hurt business, as a promoter? He gave us a sense of how he’d handle that role on a recent episode of MMA Junkie Radio. Unsurprisingly, he says he’d work hard to treat the fighters better.

Chris Taylor - April 13, 2019

Kevin Lee will make his welterweight debut against Rafael dos Anjos next month and if he proves victorious it could setup a ‘fun fight’ with Ben Askren. “The Motown Phenom” was asked about a future fight with the former Bellator and ONE Champion (Askren) during yeaterday’s UFC Press Conference.

Tom Taylor - April 11, 2019

One of the most anticipated features of the UFC 235 bill was a welterweight showdown between former UFC champ Robbie Lawler and former ONE and Bellator champ Ben Askren. Regrettably, this bout ended in controversy. Mid-way through the first round, Askren locked up a bulldog choke that appeared to lull Lawler to sleep. After referee Herb Dean stopped the action, however, Lawler protested, and the replay revealed that he might not have actually gone out.

Drake Riggs - March 29, 2019

Following his big promotional debut victory at UFC 235, ‘Funky’ former Bellator and ONE Championship welterweight king, Ben Askren made it clear who he wanted for his sophomore appearance. And that was the winner of UFC London’s headliner which saw Darren Till face Jorge Masvidal. The man known as ‘Gamebred’ would end up walking away victorious with the violent second-round knockout over his British opponent.

Tom Taylor - March 29, 2019

Earlier this week, Jorge Masvidal released a fiery video, targeting both Ben Askren and Leon Edwards. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bvj1SrblS10/ “Hello everybody, I’m back stateside, enjoying my little vacation. And I’m coming back and man, I’ve got so much groupie love. I can’t believe it,” Masvidal said (transcript via MMAFighting). “I got these two little s***s, you might know ‘em or you might not. One’s from England, one’s from some suburb where it’s — I don’t know, I don’t give a f*ck — calling me out. One’s not in the top-10 and the other that is hasn’t got a victory in the UFC. Didn’t make the dude tap — Robbie Lawler — and didn’t put him to sleep, but you think you have a win in the UFC. Who are you fooling?

Cole Shelton - March 28, 2019

UFC welterweight standout Jorge Masvidal has some options for his next fight. After knocking out Darren Till two weekends ago, both Ben Askren and Leon Edwards have been calling for a fight with “Gamebred”.

Drake Riggs - March 26, 2019

Despite rumors this morning is sounds like @GamebredFighter is being a chicken! pic.twitter.com/7ptA3lTuh5 — Funky (@Benaskren) March 26, 2019

Tom Taylor - March 22, 2019

Former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis is set to debut in the welterweight division tomorrow night, as he’s scheduled to battle Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson in the main event of UFC Nashville on ESPN+. If Pettis can spring the upset on Wonderboy, it will open the door to dozens of exciting matchups in the stacked UFC welterweight division. One matchup that seems to be off the table for Pettis, however, is a pairing with fellow Roufusport talent Ben Askren.

Tom Taylor - March 21, 2019

UFC President Dana White and former ONE and Bellator champ Ben Askren haven’t always had the best relationship. In fact, they’ve seem to outright loathe each other at various points in the past. Now that Ben Askren is firmly embedded as a member of the UFC welterweight top-15, however, Dana White seems to be changing his tune.

Cole Shelton - March 21, 2019

A common complaint UFC fans have is that there aren’t many huge MMA stars at the moment. It’s a recurring complaint, with Ronda Rousey leaving the spot, Brock Lesnar in the WWE and Conor McGregor fighting so infrequently. However, UFC President Dana White does not agree with these claims. Rather, he says there is a ton of up and coming prospects that will soon turn into stars.

James Lynch - March 20, 2019

Ben Askren has yet to have his next fight booked but he does have an ideal scenario in mind. This past weekend at UFC London, the 34-year-old spoke to the media about a number of topics including the creation of a 165-pound division. The former ONE and Bellator champion has been campaigning this new weight class since he signed with the UFC in October. He believes current lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is the perfect opponent.

Tom Taylor - March 18, 2019

Ben Askren has not always had the best relationship with UFC President Dana White. From the sounds of it, however, he and the UFC boss seem to be mending fences. Speaking on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday, Ben Askren detailed a handful of cordial exchanges with the UFC boss — which led to plans for a sit-down in Las Vegas.

Tom Taylor - March 18, 2019

Undefeated UFC welterweight contender Ben Askren predicted Darren Till would defeat Jorge Masvidal in the main event of UFC London last weekend, and hoped to fight him soon thereafter. As we now know, this is not the way things went down, as Till was flattened by his opponent Jorge Masvidal. In the wake of Till’s knockout loss to Masvidal, Ben Askren has been forced to reassess the options for his next fight.