Ben Askren News
Ben Askren shares direct messages with Dana White regarding a potential UFC rematch with Jorge Masvidal
Susan Cox - July 25, 2023
Ben Askren has shared direct messages with Dana White regarding a potential UFC rematch with Jorge Masvidal. Jorge Masvidal (35-17 MMA) and Ben Askren (19-2 MMA) met in the Octagon in July of 2019 at UFC 239. The result was a knockout victory for Masvidal at 0:05 of Round 1. It was to be the fastest KO in UFC history.
Ben Askren scoffs at Conor McGregor’s claim that he plans on fighting 3 or 4 times in the next year: “That’s crazy talk”
Susan Cox - June 3, 2023
Ben Askren has scoffed at Conor McGregor’s claim that he plans on fighting 3 or 4 times in the next year. The Irishman, 34, has not fought in the Octagon since his TKO loss to Dustin Poirier (29-7 MMA) in July of 2021 at UFC 264.
Ben Askren offers a prediction for 'actually not bad' Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz boxing match
Josh Evanoff - June 2, 2023
Former UFC welterweight contender Ben Askren didn’t actually expect Jake Paul to be good at boxing. ‘Funky’ has been retired since an April 2021 clash against ‘The Problem Child’. The boxing match was the first of Askren’s career, and will likely go down as the last. The former Bellator champion was predictably knocked out in the first round by Paul.
Ben Askren calls out Jon Jones after recent Francis Ngannou remarks
Lewis Simpson - May 18, 2023
Ben Askren has an issue with the UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones following his recent remarks directed at Francis Ngannou. Following the announcement that Ngannou would sign a record-breaking deal with the PFL, Jones quickly poked jabs at the former UFC heavyweight champion. Earlier this year, Ngannou revealed he wouldn’t re-sign with the UFC and would test the waters of free agency.
Ben Askren shares his thoughts on the UFC’s complex welterweight title picture
Harry Kettle - March 22, 2023
Former UFC fighter Ben Askren has given his thoughts on the current state of the promotion’s welterweight title picture. Last weekend at UFC 285, Leon Edwards successfully retained the UFC welterweight championship. He did so by defeating Kamaru Usman, the same man he knocked out for the belt last summer.
Ben Askren believes Jorge Masvidal was pressured into accepting fight with Gilbert Burns at UFC 287: “He doesn’t think he’s gonna win either”
Harry Kettle - February 1, 2023
Ben Askren has explained why he doesn’t believe Jorge Masvidal will defeat Gilbert Burns when they meet at UFC 287. It’s no secret that Ben Askren and Jorge Masvidal don’t like each other. After all, ‘Gamebred’ was the one who knocked Askren out cold when they met back in 2019.
Ben Askren reflects on devasting defeats to Jorge Masvidal, Jake Paul, and end of MMA career: "I totally messed it up"
Josh Evanoff - January 11, 2023
Former UFC welterweight contender Ben Askren has reflected on the close of his combat sports career. ‘Funky’ initially retired from MMA back in 2017, following a title defense against Shinya Aoki. Askren defeated the jiu-jitsu ace by first-round stoppage and hung up the gloves for good. However, he noted that he would return to the sport if he could fight in the UFC.
Ben Askren open to a rematch with Jake Paul in PFL if the UFC will allow it: “I’d love to rub his face in the canvas”
Harry Kettle - January 6, 2023
Ben Askren has explained how his UFC contract could prevent him from facing Jake Paul in a mixed martial arts bout. Back in April 2021, Ben Askren opted to step foot into the boxing ring to take on Jake Paul. Many weren’t quite sure how it would play out but in the end, ‘The Problem Child’ dusted Askren within the first round.
Ben Askren says it is “obvious” that Jorge Masvidal is ducking Gilbert Burns: “Obviously he is declining”
Harry Kettle - November 21, 2022
Ben Askren believes that Jorge Masvidal is ducking Gilbert Burns due to an ongoing decline in his abilities. Back in 2019, Jorge Masvidal was the biggest thing going in mixed martial arts. With Conor McGregor being on the shelf and Khabib Nurmagomedov only fighting once, Masvidal stepped up to the plate with three fights in an incredible twelve-month period.
Ben Askren shares his thoughts on a potential Jake Paul vs Nate Diaz boxing match: “I don't know why anyone would think that Nate has much of a chance”
Cole Shelton - November 4, 2022
Ben Askren shared his brutally honest assessment of a potential Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz fight. After Paul defeated Anderson Silva by decision to improve to 6-0, he called out Nate Diaz. It’s a fight he has talked about for quite some time and the interest only increased after the win. As well, the two have taken shots at one another for quite some time and at the event, their teams got into a backstage scuffle.
Joe Rogan reveals that he previously pleaded with the UFC to sign Ben Askren years prior to trade for Demetrious Johnson: "He was ragdolling these dudes!"
Josh Evanoff - October 27, 2022
UFC commentator Joe Rogan didn’t have a direct hand in Ben Askren heading to the UFC, but he absolutely helped. ‘Funky’ is one of the greatest wrestlers to ever step into the octagon. After an excellent freestyle wrestling career, Askren moved to MMA in 2009 and quickly found himself in Bellator. There, he began dominating the welterweight division.
Ben Askren recalls first memories after Jorge Masvidal knockout: 'F***, that's Luke Rockhold. That means I'm in the hospital'
Andrew Whitelaw - October 20, 2022
Ben Askren has become synonymous with Jorge Masvidal after he suffered a 5 second knockout at the hands of ‘Gamebred’ in 2019. The former ONE and Bellator welterweight champion shot for an early takedown but was caught by a flying knee. It was an iconic finish for Masvidal. The stoppage that launched a thousand memes. In reality, it was probably a lot more that that. The moment was so significant for Masvidal that he even got it tattooed on his shoulder and turned into t-shirts.
Chael Sonnen explains why the UFC should have no regrets over trading Demetrious Johnson for Ben Askren
Susan Cox - September 2, 2022
Chael Sonnen is explaining why the UFC should have no regrets over trading Demetrious Johnson for Ben Askren. It was almost four years ago that the UFC made a cross-promotion trade, sending Demetrious Johnson to ONE Championship in return for Ben Askren. In 2018 the agreement was reached between the UFC and Singapore’s ONE Championship which saw the first trade between the two MMA promotions.
Ben Askren reveals the only fight he would end his retirement for
Cole Shelton - August 30, 2022
Ben Askren is happily retired from MMA but admits there is one fight that would draw him back in. Askren retired following his submission loss to Demian Maia but then made his pro boxing debut and was knocked out by Jake Paul. After the loss, he confirmed his career would be over as he needed hip surgery and cited his age. However, ‘Funky’ says he would end his retirement and return to fighting to face Jorge Masvidal.
Ben Askren blasts Jorge Masvidal for trying to lockup a title fight with Leon Edwards: “You can’t avoid someone for 3 years then try to pick a fight once they get a belt”
Cole Shelton - August 24, 2022
Ben Askren doesn’t think Jorge Masvidal should be fighting for UFC gold his next time out. After Edwards knocked out Kamaru Usman at UFC 278 to become the new welterweight champ, Masvidal was quick to campaign for the fight. Of course, the two have a history with the three-piece and a soda incident in London as well as being booked to face one another at UFC 269.
Ben Askren reflects on boxing match with Jake Paul: "Turning it down would have been both cowardly and limiting my opportunity"
Josh Evanoff - July 20, 2022
Ben Askren is glad he took a boxing match with Jake Paul. ‘Funky’ retired from MMA in November 2019, following a loss to Demian Maia. With that, he also ended his UFC stint, holding a 1-2 record. While he debuted with a win over Robbie Lawler, he then suffered subsequent defeats to Jorge Masvidal and the aforementioned Maia.
Ben Askren reacts after Jorge Masvidal tries to clarify previous threat of ending his bloodline: “Is this an apology or what is this?”
Susan Cox - March 25, 2022
Ben Askren has reacted after Jorge Masvidal attempted to clarify a previous threat he had made about ending his bloodline. It was Ben Askren (19-2 MMA) vs Jorge Masvidal (35-16 MMA) at UFC 239 back in July of 2019. In the fastest and perhaps most violent knockout in the history of the UFC, it was ‘Gamebred’ who came out victorious at the 0:05 mark of the opening round.
Ben Askren roasts Jorge Masvidal for alleged steakhouse attack on Colby Covington
Josh Evanoff - March 22, 2022
Ben Askren has reacted to Jorge Masvidal’s alleged assault on Colby Covington. Earlier this month, ‘Chaos’ and ‘Gamebred’ met in the main event of UFC 272. The bout was billed as friends-turned-rivals and had massive bad-blood going in. As for the fight itself, it was dominated by Covington’s wrestling, and he won via unanimous decision.