Ben Askren News

Tom Taylor - July 2, 2019

Ben Askren is not impressed by Nate Diaz. Speaking to MMA Fighting recently, Askren shared his thoughts on the UFC 241 fight between Diaz and Anthony Pettis, and was not particularly kind in his assessment of the former.

Cole Shelton - July 2, 2019

UFC 239 is set to go down from Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday. The card is headlined by two title fights, and also on the card is an intriguing welterweight fight between Ben Askren and Jorge Masvidal, where the winner could very well get the next title shot. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the fight. Although Askren is a -250 favorite, while Masvidal being the +195 underdog, the majority of the pros are leaning towards Masvidal giving Askren his first professional loss.

Tom Taylor - July 2, 2019

This Saturday, on the main card of UFC 239, Ben Askren will collide with Jorge Masvidal in a pivotal welterweight contender bout. Askren originally expected to fight Darren Till in his next bout, but then Masvidal knocked Till out, jumping the line in the process. “Going in to the fight with Masvidal, I thought [Darren] Till was going to win,” Ben Askren said when speaking to MMA Fighting. “Masvidal was already making excuses so I didn’t really think it was a good possibility of me fighting Masvidal but then when he won, they started looking around at opponents for me and “Wonderboy” [Stephen Thompson] lost [to Anthony Pettis] and Masvidal was the one that made the most sense.

Tom Taylor - June 30, 2019

Shortly after former boxing champion Paulie Malignaggi came up short to UFC veteran Artem Lobov in a bare knuckle bout at BKFC 6, he was criticized by MMA stars Ben Askren and Chael Sonnen. Both men made comments suggesting that perhaps boxers aren’t quite as skilled as we previously believed. Malignaggi has now responded to these criticisms with a challenge to both Askren and Sonnen. He encouraged the pair of MMA fighters to to give boxing a try if they think it’s so easy. He also added that they’re probably make more money doing so than they do in MMA.

Cole Shelton - June 26, 2019

When Kamaru Usman beat Tyron Woodley at UFC 235 to become the welterweight champion, all signs pointed to his first title defense being against Colby Covington. Well, that likely won’t happen now. On Monday it was announced that the former interim champion would take on Robbie Lawler at UFC Newark. Much to the despair of Usman.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 26, 2019

Ben Askren has given his take on Artem Lobov’s victory over Paulie Malignaggi. Lobov vs. Malignaggi served as the main event of BKFC 6 inside the Florida State Fairgrounds Expo Hall in Tampa on June 22. Malignaggi was the slight favorite going into the bout, but he dropped a unanimous decision after five rounds of bare-knuckle boxing action. Many were surprised that Lobov scored the win given Malignaggi’s boxing experience.

Natasha Hooper - June 26, 2019

Ben Askren discusses why he believes Jorge Masvidal was not at two UFC 239 press events and addresses some ‘sick and disturbing’ comments ‘Gamebred’ made about his family bloodline. Askren had no problem firing back at Masvidal, who he will be fighting at UFC 239, especially for the recent comments he made regarding his family.

Adam Martin - June 25, 2019

Count Ben Askren among the parties interested in a potential celebrity showdown between Justin Bieber and Tom Cruise. Speaking to TMZ, Askren agreed Bieber vs. Cruise would be a big fight for the UFC. And if the fight does come to fruition, Askren has already made his pick.

Natasha Hooper - June 25, 2019

Ben Askren doesn’t shy away from a twitter roast. Today is no exception as he mocks Colby Covington for not getting a title shot. Askren, the former Olympic wrestler and Bellator champion prepares for his second UFC appearance against Jorge Masvidal. The winner of the fight will likely get a title shot against current champion, Kamaru Usman.

Christopher Taylor - June 24, 2019

Earlier tonight news broke that former interim welterweight champion Colby Covington would be returning to the octagon at August’s UFC Newark event against former division kingpin Robbie Lawler. The booking came as a shock to many, as it was anticipated that Covington would serve as the first challenger to newly crowned division title holder Kamaru Usman.

Tom Taylor - June 19, 2019

Speaking on the latest episode of BJPenn.com Radio, Jorge Masvidal warned that if his UFC 239 opponent Ben Askren gets too close ahead of their July 6 fight, he could wind up getting the same treatment as Leon Edwards — a three-piece and a soda. In layman’s terms, a few punches outside the cage.

Mike Pendleton - June 19, 2019

In a fight that likely has some title implications in the welterweight division, Jorge Masvidal has a personal goal for his UFC 239 opponent, Ben Askren. Since his arrival into the UFC, “Funky” Ben Askren has gotten under the skin of a lot of fighters, especially in the welterweight division, but Masvidal isn’t here for any jokes or games. Askren is coming off a controversial win over Robbie Lawler at UFC 235, the first fight of his UFC career, after a long beef with Dana White kept him away from the promotion. During a recent interview with BJPenn.com Radio, Masvidal discussed his fight with Askren and said he’d like to break the wrestling specialist’s face “on a personal note.”

Tom Taylor - June 12, 2019

On Wednesday, the stars of Bellator 222 took center stage in New York City for a pre-fight media day. Among those appearing were welterweight champion Rory MacDonald, bantamweight champion Darrion Caldwell, and main card fighter Dillon Danis. At one point during the days festivities, Dillon Danis swiped MacDonald and Caldwell’s Bellator titles and posed for a photo with both straps slung over his shoulders.

Christopher Taylor - June 3, 2019

Undefeated welterweight standout Ben Askren (19-0 MMA) took aim at former UFC lightweight title challenger Nate Diaz on Monday afternoon. The former Bellator and ONE Champion, Askren, roasted the younger Diaz brother over his professional record as a lightweight.

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.

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. 

Tom Taylor - May 7, 2019

On Monday night, UFC welterweight contender Ben Askren stepped onto the mats for a wrestling match with Jordan Burroughs. The bout topped the Beat the Streets 2019 charity event, which emanated the Hulu Theatre inside New York City’s hallowed Madison Square Garden. In the end, this charity wrestling match did not go well for Askren. The former ONE and Bellator champ was shut out by Burroughs, who won 11-0.