1. Benjamin Michael Askren was born on July 18,1984 and is an American former professional mixed martial artist, professional boxer and Olympic wrestler.
42 Facts About Ben Askren
1. 2.
Ben Askren was the former Bellator and ONE Welterweight Champion, remaining undefeated for over a decade before competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
3.
Ben Askren was the 2005 Pan American champion as a freestyle wrestler.
4.
Ben Askren was introduced to the sport of wrestling by his father Chuck at age six, but only took the sport seriously when he started the sixth grade and joined a club.
5.
In college, Ben Askren wrestled for the Missouri Tigers at 174 pounds, where he was teammates with future UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley and future Bellator Lightweight Champion Michael Chandler.
6.
On January 9,2012, it was announced that Ben Askren would be one of six new inductees to the University of Missouri Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame.
7.
At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Ben Askren defeated Hungarian Istvan Vereb via fall in the first round, but fell in the quarterfinals to Cuba's Ivan Fundora on points.
8.
Later the same year, Ben Askren defeated 2009 world silver medalist Jake Herbert in a folkstyle rules match at the Midlands Tournament.
9.
Ben Askren competed in the Agon Wrestling Championships and the Flo Premier League.
10.
Ben Askren made his professional MMA debut on February 7,2009.
11.
Ben Askren defeated Josh Flowers via TKO early in the first round.
12.
Ben Askren had his second fight at Patriot Act 2 in Columbia, Missouri.
13.
Ben Askren defeated Mitchell Harris via submission by arm triangle.
14.
Ben Askren won his first match against Toni Linden by arm triangle choke.
15.
Ben Askren lost his second match to Pablo Popovitch, a veteran grappler he had trained with the previous summer, by figure four footlock early in the match.
16.
Ben Askren was a participant in Bellator Fighting Championships Season 2 Welterweight Tournament.
17.
The outcome of the fight was controversial because Thomas protested the stoppage as soon as Ben Askren released the choke.
18.
At Bellator 22, Ben Askren defeated Dan Hornbuckle via unanimous decision with his superior wrestling dominating Hornbuckle for all three rounds, becoming the Bellator Season Two Welterweight Tournament Champion.
19.
On October 21,2010, in Philadelphia Ben Askren took on the Bellator Welterweight Champion Lyman Good.
20.
Ben Askren won via unanimous decision to win the Bellator Welterweight Championship.
21.
Ben Askren next returned at Bellator 40 to fight and defeat Nick Thompson after taking down and controlling Thompson for all three rounds.
22.
Ben Askren successfully defended his title against season 4 welterweight tournament winner Jay Hieron at Bellator 56 following a close split decision.
23.
Ben Askren successfully defended his title against season 5 welterweight tournament winner Douglas Lima at Bellator 64 on April 6,2012, on Good Friday at the Caesars in Windsor, Canada.
24.
Ben Askren used his top control wrestling to shut down his opponents grappling, and opened a cut on Amoussou's forehead with an elbow strike.
25.
Ben Askren dominated the fight with his wrestling and ground strikes, outstriking his opponent by a wide 248 to 3 margin before winning via TKO in the fourth round.
26.
On December 9,2013, Ben Askren signed a two-year, six-fight contract with ONE Championship.
27.
Ben Askren faced Suzuki at ONE Fighting Championship: Reign of Champions on August 29,2014.
28.
Ben Askren won the fight via TKO due to strikes in the first round to become the new ONE Welterweight Champion.
29.
Ben Askren then fought Agilan Thani at the ONE Championship: Dynasty of Heroes on May 26,2017.
30.
Ben Askren won the fight via submission due to an arm-triangle choke in the first round.
31.
Ben Askren then faced Zebaztian Kadestam at the ONE Championship: Shanghai on September 7,2017.
32.
Ben Askren then faced fellow veteran Shinya Aoki at ONE Championship: Immortal Pursuit on November 24,2017.
33.
Ben Askren won the fight via TKO due to punches early in the first round.
34.
Ben Askren left the door open for one last match if he was made an offer to "prove I'm the best welterweight in the world".
35.
Ben Askren made his UFC debut against the former UFC Welterweight Champion Robbie Lawler on March 2,2019, at UFC 235.
36.
Ben Askren won the fight via bulldog choke in the first round, through a controversial stoppage by referee Herb Dean.
37.
Ben Askren was knocked out with a flying knee five seconds into the first round, the fastest knockout in UFC history, ending his undefeated run.
38.
Ben Askren faced ADCC World Champion and MMA veteran Demian Maia on October 26,2019, at UFC on ESPN+ 20, and lost the fight via technical submission in round three.
39.
On November 18,2019, Ben Askren announced his official retirement from mixed martial arts competition.
40.
Ben Askren is competitive in the sport of disc golf.
41.
In 2009, Ben Askren finished ninth in the Amateur World Championships.
42.
Ben Askren married his wife Amy in 2010 and together they have three children.