Ben Askren News

UFC Singapore Results: Demian Maia sleeps Ben Askren (Video)
Chris Taylor - October 26, 2019
A key welterweight bout between Ben Askren and Demian Maia headlines today’s UFC Singapore event. Askren will be returning to the Octagon for the first time since suffering the first loss of his career in devastating fashion to Jorge Masvidal at UFC 239 in July.

UFC Singapore Results and Highlights
Chris Taylor - October 26, 2019
A key welterweight bout featuring division standouts Ben Askren and Demian Maia headlines today’s UFC Singapore event. Askren will be returning to the Octagon for the first time since suffering the first loss of his career in devastating fashion to Jorge Masvidal at UFC 239 in July.

Jorge Masvidal and Ben Askren join forces to bash Kamaru Usman
Tom Taylor - October 25, 2019
Jorge Masvidal and Ben Askren have never gotten along, but that doesn’t mean they can’t come together to roast a mutual nemesis. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, as they say.

UFC Singapore: How And When To Watch
Natasha Hooper - October 24, 2019
UFC Singapore takes place this weekend on Saturday, 26 October 2019. In the main-event, expert grappler Demian Maia will be squaring off against the former Bellator and ONE champion, Ben Askren.

Ben Askren explains how he got over Jorge Masvidal loss
Tom Taylor - October 24, 2019
Ben Askren experienced the first loss of his professional MMA career earlier this year, and it was a tough one. The loss occurred in a UFC 239 battle with Jorge Masvidal. Five seconds and one flying knee into the fight, and Askren’s undefeated record was no more.

UFC Singapore | Pro fighters make their picks for Ben Askren vs. Demian Maia
Cole Shelton - October 24, 2019
In the main event of UFC Singapore, Ben Askren will be looking to get back into the win column when he takes on Demian Maia. Heading into this fight, “Funky” is a -175 favorite while the Brazilian is a +145 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The majority are leaning towards Maia being able to submit Ben Askren and extend his losing streak to two.

Ben Askren trashes 'douchebag' Colby Covington
Natasha Hooper - October 21, 2019
As Colby Covington has risen through the welterweight ranks, he has divided opinion in the MMA community. Fellow 170-pound fighter, Ben Askren has made it clear what side of the fence he’s on. ‘Funky’ called out Covington for being ‘a terrible person’ who ‘nobody likes’. The UFC fighters both come for a collegiate wrestling background. The Olympic wrestler suggests that Covington’s bad reputation dates back to his early wrestling days. He revealed during an interview with Submission Radio,

Ben Askren believes Nate Diaz doesn't deserve a title shot
Natasha Hooper - October 20, 2019
Nate Diaz is set to face Jorge Masvidal for the ‘BMF’ belt at UFC 244 on Saturday 2nd, November. If he wins, many believe he deserves a title shot against the winner of Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington. But according to Ben Askren, the ‘Stockton Slapper’ won’t be getting a title shot any time soon. The former Bellator and ONE champion believes Diaz’ inactivity has affected his chances in the division.

Gilbert Burns goes after Ben Askren, "Funky" issues amusing response
Harry Kettle - October 18, 2019
UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns has gone after divisional rival Ben Askren on social media, and the man himself has taken the time to respond. Burns (17-3) has been making the headlines over the course of the last few months after taking two short-notice fights, winning them both against Alexey Kunchenko and Gunnar Nelson. The victories took his unbeaten streak to four, with his only defeat in the last seven coming at the hands of Dan Hooker.

Ben Askren wants rematch with Jorge Masvidal
Tom Taylor - October 15, 2019
Ben Askren only got five seconds in the cage with Jorge Masvidal, falling to a flying knee in that span. Unsurprisingly, he’s keen to get a little more cage-time in with his rival. “What I said explicitly was I wanted to come back [from retirement] to see if I was the best in the world,” Askren told MMA Fighting recently. “In that five seconds, we didn’t find that out. We found out Jorge has a fantastic knee and that I’m not invincible, but we didn’t find much else out.

Jorge Masvidal open to Ben Askren rematch down the line
Cole Shelton - October 14, 2019
Jorge Masvidal is open to running things back with Ben Askren eventually. The two fought at UFC 239 in a highly-anticipated fight. Yet, the scrap only lasted five-seconds as Jorge Masvidal landed a flying knee that knocked Askren out cold to hand him his first professional loss.

Ben Askren believes a win over Demian Maia gets him top-ranked opponent
Cole Shelton - October 8, 2019
Ben Askren is looking to return to the win column in the main event of UFC Singapore when he takes on Demian Maia. Askren, of course, is coming off of a five-second flying knee knockout loss to Jorge Masvidal at UFC 239. The loss was his first as a pro and sent him down the welterweight rankings and out of the title conversation. Yet, ‘Funky’ believes a win over Maia should earn him a top-ranked opponent.

Dillon Danis aims low in latest shot at Ben Askren
Natasha Hooper - October 1, 2019
Dillon Danis has been keeping busy on social media. Last week, he alleged that he’s set for a fight against YouTube star Jake Paul. This week, he’s targeting UFC welterweight contender Ben Askren.

Ben Askren determined to handle loss better than Ronda Rousey
Tom Taylor - September 30, 2019
Ben Askren recently had his first taste of defeat as a pro mixed martial artist. This bitter dish was served up by Jorge Masvidal, who finished the pair’s UFC 239 fight with a flying knee knockout in just five seconds. While it’s hard to imagine a more brutal way to lose, Askren has been extremely open about this setback. That, he says, is by design. He feels anything else would have been counterproductive, and he points to the career-ending losses of Ronda Rousey as proof of that.

Ben Askren roasts Dillon Danis for ADCC withdrawal
Tom Taylor - September 26, 2019
Dillon Danis was expected to return to the mats at ADCC 2019, but according to a report from FloGrappling, the Conor McGregor stablemate has withdrawn from his position in the -99kg division. You better believe Ben Askren has something to say about that. The UFC welterweight contender Askren reacted to this news on Twitter, making a rather crude suggestion about the cause of Danis’ withdrawal.

Ben Askren points out alarming USADA stat
Tom Taylor - September 23, 2019
Ben Askren has always taken pride in being a clean fighter. Unfortunately, not every fighter on the UFC roster can say the same. Speaking on the new Hot Takes segment on of his podcast, Askren discussed the performance-enhancing drug problem that has been causing problems in the UFC, and pointed out that a significant percentage of the UFC roster has popped for banned substances in the last six months alone.

Ben Askren believes 'idiots' Usman, Covington made the same error in negotiations
Thomas Taylor - September 16, 2019
UFC 244 was originally expected to be headlined by a welterweight title fight between reigning champion Kamaru Usman and top contender Colby Covington. Unfortunately, negotiations for this fight ultimately hit a snag, and the fight was never made official. Welterweight contender Ben Askren believes that’s because both Usman and Covington made the same mistake: the both assumed they have more popularity — and therefor more bargaining power — than they actually do. Askren shared this opinion, which will surely generate some backlash from Usman and Covington, on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday.

Ben Askren sends scathing message to Conor McGregor
Thomas Taylor - September 16, 2019
Ben Askren and Conor McGregor recently had a brief skirmish on social media. Speaking on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday, Askren continued with this war of words by sending a scathing message to the former two-division UFC champion. By Askren’s estimation, McGregor needs to take a fight — perhaps with Dustin Poirier, who recently called him out. If McGregor is unwilling to do that, Askren believes he needs to keep quiet.