Ben Askren News
Ben Askren explains why he didn't include Conor McGregor on his GOAT list
Tom Taylor - May 26, 2020
Former Bellator and ONE Championship welterweight titleholder Ben Askren recently shared the names of the fighters he believes belong in the GOAT debate in MMA, but his list did not include former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor. 7 People in discussion for MMA GOAT. Some have much better cases than others, but all have cases. Fedor and BJ would have had cases had they retired earlier.
Ben Askren shares 7 fighters he believes are in the MMA GOAT conversation
Natasha Hooper - May 26, 2020
Ben Askren has named the top 7 fighters he thinks could all make a case for the GOAT of MMA. The “Greatest Of All Time” fighter in MMA has been a hot topic of discussion recently after Conor McGregor named his top picks. “The Notorious” listed Anderson Silva as the number 1 GOAT, following himself who he listed behind in close second. Read his full MMA GOAT rankings below.
Ben Askren shares theory on why Arianny Celeste hasn't been working recent UFC events
Chris Taylor - May 20, 2020
Former Bellator and ONE champion Ben Askren recently shared his theory on why fight fans have not seen Arianny Celeste working recent UFC events. The longtime Octagon girl, Celeste, was absent from all three of the promotions recent events in Jacksonville, Florida.
Gilbert Burns roasts “dumbass” Ben Askren on social media
Cole Shelton - April 20, 2020
Gilbert Burns roasted former UFC welterweight Ben Askren on social media earlier today. During the quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Burns has been active on social media tweeting funny videos and memes. One meme he kept on using was a group of men carrying a coffin. Askren posted on social media wondering what it was about and Burns was quick to respond.
Ben Askren wonders if Ronda Rousey actually works on being unlikeable
Adam D Martin - April 12, 2020
Former UFC welterweight contender Ben Askren wonders that WWE superstar Ronda Rousey works on being unlikeable as part of her personality. Rousey has come under fire in recent days for her comments on professional wrestling, saying that they don’t participate in real fights as MMA fighters do. She also criticized wrestling fans, as well. Several WWE superstars defended themselves against Rousey’s comments, and fans weren’t happy with her remarks, either. Askren, no stranger to trash talk himself, wonders if Rousey is doing this on purpose.
Ben Askren sarcastically mocks Paige VanZant
Natasha Hooper - April 6, 2020
Ben Askren has poked fun at Paige VanZant for giving her number out to fans on social media. The women’s top flyweight has been hitting headlines this week. She posted a series of partially covered nude photos with her husband and fellow MMA fighter, Austin Vanderford to social media. The 26-year old also gave her number out online to interact with fans. However, she revealed that she received unsolicited “d*ck pics,” that quickly ruined the fun.
Ben Askren changes Twitter name in latest jab at Kamaru Usman
Harry Kettle - April 3, 2020
Ben Askren has taken yet another shot at UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman – doing so through his Twitter account. There are very few people that seem to be capable of getting under the skin of “The Nigerian Nightmare”, but it certainly appears as if “Funky” is one of them, even months after his retirement from mixed martial arts.
Jorge Masvidal offers Ben Askren a job in his creative department, "Funky" responds
Natasha Hooper - April 3, 2020
Jorge Masvidal may have found a new friend in his former foe, Ben Askren. On Twitter, the “BMF” winner asked his former opponent to join his “creative department”, to which “Funky” responded. In recent months, Masvidal has been targetting the welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. The fighters are expected to collide in the Octagon soon. For the meantime, “Gamebred” has used his time to mock the champion and even accuse him of having “multiple personalities”. This week, he posted a video of Usman that shows “The Nigerian Nightmare” contradicting himself and previously praising the BMF champion.
Ben Askren has an idea to ensure Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson happens
Tom Taylor - March 20, 2020
Ben Askren wants to see Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson fight as a badly as the rest of us, and he’s got an idea he believes will ensure the fight happens even amid coronavirus-related restrictions. Nurmagomedov and Ferguson have been scheduled to fight four times previously to no avail. The UFC attempted to book them for a fifth time at UFC 249 on April 18 in Brooklyn, New York, but of course the coronavirus pandemic had to come along and derail that plan.
Ben Askren roasts Kamaru Usman: He's 'the worst promoter in the history of mixed martial arts'
Tom Taylor - March 19, 2020
Ben Askren believes UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman had a golden opportunity to gain some traction with the fans when he fought Colby Covington at UFC 245 last December. By Askren’s estimation, Covington is arguably the most hated fighter in MMA at present. As a result, he feels Usman could have gained some real popularity if he’d played the good guy in the lead-up to his fight with Covington.
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 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 picks Jorge Masvidal as 2019 Fighter of The Year
Harry Kettle - January 9, 2020
Retired UFC star Ben Askren has swallowed his pride and picked Jorge Masvidal as his 2019 Fighter of the Year. Heading into 2019 nobody was really giving Masvidal a second thought, whereas Askren was one of the hottest things in mixed martial arts. Then, when “Gamebred” finished Darren Till and Askren controversially submitted Robbie Lawler, the stars aligned for the two to fight at UFC 239.
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.
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 roasts Colby Covington over failed Kamaru Usman diss
Harry Kettle - December 13, 2019
Ben Askren may not be competing inside the Octagon anymore, but he can certainly give his views on what’s happening in the current landscape of the sport – and as you can imagine, he’s quite interested in the headliner at UFC 245 this Saturday night. Askren is a known critic of both Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman, the two of whom will meet for the UFC Welterweight Championship tomorrow night in Las Vegas, Nevada. At one stage it even looked like Askren’s trajectory was taking him towards a fight against one of these two men, but Jorge Masvidal had other ideas.