Ben Askren News
Ben Askren says Colby Covington isn’t putting on an act: 'He’s really that much of a dips**t'
Natasha Hooper - March 16, 2020
Ben Askren has dubbed Colby Covington “a dips**t”. Covington’s outspoken support of Donald Trump and offensive insults towards other fighters have polarized fans. The 32-year old and Askren have also traded their fair share of insults. “Funky” doesn’t deny Covington’s fighting talents but believes he has alienated himself and is a “terrible person”.
Ben Askren says UFC fighters need to form a union in order to receive “fair compensation”
Adam D Martin - March 1, 2020
Former UFC welterweight Ben Askren says that the promotion’s current fighters need to form a union in order to receive “fair compensation.” A recent report from the New York Post revealed that UFC fighters are raging over their low pay while the promotion’s investors are reaping big dividends. UFC fighters, and MMA fighters in general, receive far less pay than the major four sports leagues in North America (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL) and many fighters have had enough of it.
Ben Askren shares his safe bets for UFC 246: McGregor vs Cerrone
Chris Taylor - January 18, 2020
Former Bellator and ONE champion Ben Askren believes there are some safe bets for tonight’s UFC 246: McGregor vs Cerrone event. The welterweight standout, Askren, who recently retired following his submission loss to Demian Maia at UFC Singapore, recently took to Twitter with the following information.
Ben Askren predicts Maycee Barber will be champion by 2021
Mike Pendleton - January 9, 2020
Before she got her scheduled fight against Roxanne Modafferi at UFC 246, Maycee Barber was very public and open in her pursuit of a possible fight against Paige VanZant. For whatever the reason, the UFC decided to match Barber against Modafferi at next weekend’s UFC 246 event, while VanZant will face Amanda Ribas in March. While a fight with VanZant would have been an easy way for more eyes to get on Barber who is ranked 9th in the flyweight division, a fight with Modafferi, who is ranked 7th in the division, makes more sense in Barber’s pursuit of a title.
Ben Askren says he has interviewed with ESPN for commentary gig
Adam Martin - January 8, 2020
Former UFC welterweight contender Ben Askren said that he recently had an interview with sports leader ESPN for an MMA commentary gig. Askren retired from mixed martial arts after suffering a technical submission loss to Demian Maia in the main event of UFC Singapore. Prior to that, he was knocked out in just five seconds by Jorge Masvidal at UFC 239 after winning his Octagon debut via controversial technical submission against Robbie Lawler at UFC 235.
Ben Askren takes aim at 'dork' Conor McGregor after NMF Title tweet
Harry Kettle - December 17, 2019
There’s a lot to be said for Conor McGregor’s persona, mainly because it’s gotten him to such a high point within the landscape of mixed martial arts. The popular Irishman has certainly hit a few speed bumps along the way in the last few years, but now that he has his return fight against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone officially booked, many fans are anticipating that this could be his return to winning ways – with 2020 being highlighted as a potentially defining year for his career.
Ben Askren believes Kamaru Usman made crucial error in UFC 245 post-fight interview
Tom Taylor - December 16, 2019
Kamaru Usman got the win he sought at UFC 245, weathering some early adversity to stop his ferocious challenger Colby Covington in the fifth round. According to the newly retired Ben Askren, however, Usman made one key blunder at UFC 245: He fibbed to the fans in his post-fight interview. Early on in his interview with UFC commentator Joe Rogan, Usman claimed that he was too mentally tough to be phased by Covington’s pre-fight trash talk. Shortly thereafter, he attributed his early blunders in the fight to being too emotional due to Covington’s pre-fight trash talk.
Jorge Masvidal gives a respectful shoutout to Ben Askren, "Funky" responds
Cole Shelton - December 15, 2019
Jorge Masvidal and Ben Askren had one of the bigger rivalries this year, yet it appears that beef has been squashed. In the lead up to their UFC 239 fight, the two traded shots at one another making their scrap one of the most highly anticipated bouts on the card. But, the fight itself did not last long, as Masvidal knocked out Askren in five seconds with a flying knee. After the bout, “Gamebred” continued his trash talk towards “Funky.”
Ben Askren fires back after Mike Perry calls him a “bum”
Adam Martin - December 8, 2019
Former UFC welterweight contender Ben Askren fired back at Mike Perry after “Platinum” called “Funky” a bum, suggesting Perry will one day be homeless. Perry was recently a guest on UFC Unfiltered and called Askren a “bum” while criticizing his performances inside the Octagon. Askren went 1-2 with the UFC with a controversial technical submission win over Robbie Lawler and stoppage losses to Jorge Masvidal and Demian Maia before calling it quits and retiring from the sport.
Jorge Masvidal reacts to Ben Askren's retirement
Tom Taylor - November 28, 2019
Earlier this month, former ONE and Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren announced his retirement from MMA. This week, Jorge Masvidal — easily Askren’s most high-profile rival in the UFC —gave his take on that retirement. Despite the war of words that raged between Askren and Masvidal, and the violent way with which their fight ended, Masvidal surprisingly tipped his hat to Askren and shared his belief that the wrestler shouldn’t have retired so soon.
Michael Bisping scoffs at Ben Askren retiring over a hip replacement
Chris Taylor - November 23, 2019
Michael Bisping is not buying that Ben Askren retired from the sport of mixed martial arts due to his need for a hip replacement. The former UFC middleweight champion discussed Askren’s recently announced retirement on his most recent edition of the ‘Believe You Me’ podcast where he insinuated that hip replacement is not career-ending surgery, unless you want it to be.
Brendan Schaub weighs in on Ben Askren's retirement
Fernando Quiles - November 21, 2019
Brendan Schaub is giving Ben Askren props for giving it a shot with the UFC. Askren wrapped up his MMA career after going 1-2 under the UFC banner. “Funky” cited needing to undergo hip replacement surgery as the reason for his decision. While Askren’s UFC run may not have been a total success, his reigns as the Bellator and ONE Championship welterweight ruler haven’t gone unnoticed.
Chael Sonnen caught off guard by Ben Askren's retirement announcement
Fernando Quiles - November 19, 2019
Chael Sonnen admits that Ben Askren’s decision to hang up his gloves for good surprised him. Askren went into the UFC with a ton of hype. “Funky” had captured Bellator and ONE Championship gold. While Askren initially retired, he ended up signing with the UFC via a trade with ONE for Demetrious Johnson. Askren went 1-2 under the UFC banner. He submitted Robbie Lawler and was stopped by Jorge Masvidal and Demian Maia. During a recent appearance on ESPN’s Ariel Helwani MMA Show, Askren said he’s done for good now.
Dillon Danis sends message to newly retired Ben Askren
Tom Taylor - November 19, 2019
From the moment Ben Askren announced his retirement from MMA, you knew it was only a matter of time before Dillon Danis — one of Askren’s chief naysayers — chimed in. It’s finally happened.
ONE Championship pays tribute to retired Ben Askren
Tom Taylor - November 19, 2019
Ben Askren announced his retirement on Monday afternoon, and he’s been receiving love from the MMA community ever since. He even got a nice tribute from ONE Championship, the organization that famously traded him to the UFC for Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson in 2018. See how ONE Championship sent Ben Askren off into retirement below:
Ben Askren outlines the 'storybook ending' he would have preferred
Tom Taylor - November 18, 2019
Ben Askren is done fighting. The former ONE Championship and Bellator welterweight king announced the end of his fighting career on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday, adding that he now plans to undergo a hip replacement. Askren ends his fighting career on a two-fight skid, having come up short against Demian Maia and Jorge Masvidal, by knockout and submission, in his last two fights. While these losses expedited his decision to retire, he explained that he likely would have retired soon even if he’d been winning.
Ben Askren announces retirement from MMA
Tom Taylor - November 18, 2019
Ben Askren has announced his retirement from MMA. Askren made this announcement on Monday’s edition of Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show, adding that he requires a hip replacement, and will undergo this complicated procedure now that his fighting days are done.
Demian Maia encourages Ben Askren to continue fighting
Tom Taylor - November 15, 2019
Earlier this year, Ben Askren stepped into the UFC’s Octagon for the first time, with mountains of hype associated with his name. After an impressive win over Robbie Lawler in his UFC debut, however, he’s experienced back-to-back losses to Jorge Masvidal and Demian Maia respectively — a five-second knockout and a submission. After these stoppage losses, some members of the MMA community believe Askren should retire. Askren himself seems to be thinking about it.