Ben Askren News

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.

Tom Taylor - October 7, 2019

Israel Adesanya put forth a star-making performance in the UFC 243 main event, first dazzling fans with an incredibly unique walkout (at least by UFC standards), then by delivering an impressive defeat of Robert Whittaker to capture the UFC middleweight belt. It’s truly difficult to imagine things going much better for Nigerian-born Kiwi, and all signs point to his achieving the kind of mainstream stardom we’ve only seem from a few fighters previously. UFC welterweight Ben Askren certainly seems to think that will be the case.

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.

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.

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.

Tom Taylor - September 18, 2019

Ben Askren and Dillon Danis are separated by promotional bounds, as they’re currently signed with the UFC and Bellator respectively. Nonetheless, the pair of grappling specialists have taken every opportunity to swap trash talk on Twitter. From the sounds of it, they could soon settle their differences on the mats.

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.

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.

Chris Taylor - September 11, 2019

Former UFC champion Conor McGregor has responded to Ben Askren. The former Bellator and ONE champion, Askren, had taken to Twitter yesterday evening where he issued the following statement insinuating that McGregor’s days competing at a championship level are gone.

Cole Shelton - September 10, 2019

Ben Askren doesn’t believe that Conor McGregor will ever be a UFC champion again. McGregor, who is the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion was also the first-ever simultaneous two-division champion in the UFC. Yet, according to Ben Askren, he believes the Irishman made too much money to have the desire to train at a world champ level.

Tom Taylor - September 4, 2019

On October 26, the UFC will return to Singapore. The promotion’s latest stop in “The Lion City” will be topped by a dynamite welterweight matchup between former ONE and Bellator welterweight champ Ben Askren and two-time UFC title challenger Demian Maia. This bout has fans of the grappling arts very excited, as Askren is one of the best wrestlers in MMA, while Maia is arguably the best jiu jitsu specialist in the game. This week, the two welterweight stars touched down in Singapore, where they squared off for the press.

Tom Taylor - August 26, 2019

Multiple bouts have been made official for the upcoming UFC Singapore card, scheduled for October 26 in “The Lion City.” The most notable bout to be made official for the card is the main event, which will pit BJJ ace Demian Maia against wrestling savant Ben Askren in a crucial welterweight showdown. At a glance, this matchup between a Brazilian and an American might seem like a strange choice for the UFC Singapore main event, but Askren was the long-time welterweight champion for Singapore-based promotion ONE Championship. He also trained and taught at the Singapore gym Evolve MMA, so he figures to be welcomed back as a hometown hero.

Adam Martin - August 20, 2019

UFC welterweight Mike Perry took to social media to challenge Ben Askren to a fight, with the winner donating $20,000 to a charity of the loser’s choosing. Here’s what Perry said to Askren on Twitter.

Tom Taylor - August 19, 2019

Anthony Pettis and Ben Askren are training partners at Roufusport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. So, it’d be safe to assume Pettis was was disappointed when Askren was brutally knocked out by Jorge Masvidal at UFC 239. Yet that’s not what Pettis told Masvidal’s training partner Yoel Romero.

Chris Taylor - August 17, 2019

Jorge Masvidal may have knocked out Ben Askren in record-setting time at UFC 239, but that clearly has not put an end to their rivalry. Earlier today, video footage was leaked of Askren’s longtime friend and training partner Anthony Pettis telling Yoel Romero he was happy to see ‘Gamebred’ win at last month’s pay-per-view event in Las Vegas.

Chris Taylor - August 17, 2019

UFC standouts Anthony Pettis and Ben Askren train together on a regular basis at Roufusport Gym in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. So it came as big surprise to many, including Askren, when video footage leaked of Pettis telling Yoel Romero that he was happy to see Jorge Masvidal win at UFC 239.

Chris Taylor - August 10, 2019

Jorge Masvidal squared off against Ben Askren on the main card of UFC 239 in what was considered to be the most highly anticipated bout of the evening. Masvidal entered the fight looking to build off the momentum of his sensational knockout victory over Darren Till at March’s UFC event in London.

Cole Shelton - August 6, 2019

Ben Askren will return to the Octagon later this year to take on Demian Maia. Askren was hoping to earn a title shot with a win in his latest fight at UFC 239. Unfortunately, for “Funky” a Jorge Masvidal flying knee ruined those plans. But, as a consolation prize, when he takes on Maia, Askren will be headlining his first UFC event.