Ben Askren

[GeneChing]

Another Olympian like Ishii, although not a medalist.

Olympic Wrestler Ben Askren Tries MMA
Michael David Smith Posted Nov 4th 2008 11:54AM

In the latest sign that mixed martial arts is attracting an increasing number of world-class athletes, the Olympic wrestler Ben Askren has decided to turn pro in MMA.

Askren won two NCAA wrestling championships at Missouri and is one of only two two-time winners of the Dan Hodge Trophy, which is the wrestling equivalent of the Heisman. He then made the U.S. Olympic wrestling team and reached the quarterfinals in his weight class in Beijing.

Now Mike Chiappetta of NBC Sports reports that he's working with American Top Team and plans to make his MMA debut in early 2009.

"Obviously his pedigree and his base is tremendous," said American Top Team general manager Richie Guerriero. "Not only his wrestling base, but his work ethic, his history of competition and mental mindset. He brings more than just a wrestling base to the sport. It's not something you can teach. He's been a competitive athlete since a kid, and the mental aspect is a big part of the sport of MMA."

It's not yet known which MMA promotion will sign Askren, but he'll be a highly sought prospect. He's the second significant Olympian to announce his intentions to become a professional MMA fighter recently, following on the heels of Japanese judo gold medalist Satoshi Ishii, who is likely to start fighting for Dream in 2009.

[Oso]

gotta go where the money is...no money in Olympic sports in general...Phelps being the exception recently.

I wonder which discipline has had more crossovers, wrestling or judo?

[GeneChing]

Askren will be really fascinating if he does ok in MMA and then goes to the Olympics in 2012.

MMA: '08 Olympian, two-time NCAA champ Ben Askren joins ATT of Coconut Creek
Sharon Robb | Sports Columnist
December 21, 2008

With the same never-back-down attitude that helped him become the nation's top collegiate wrestler and 2008 Olympian, Ben Askren is focusing on a mixed martial arts pro career.

At 24, Askren brings an impressive wrestling resume and loads of personality to American Top Team Coconut Creek, where he recently signed a three-year contract. He will fight at 170 pounds.

For the past week he has been working alongside some of the world's top fighters, including reigning WEC champion Mike Brown and UFC star Thiago Alves.

His pedigree in wrestling includes two NCAA titles and two Dan Hodge trophies as the top collegiate wrestler while at the University of Missouri. He has a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

His main focus is on striking with ATT boxing coach and 1976 Olympic gold medalist Howard Davis Jr. and former UFC fighter Din Thomas, of ATT Port St. Lucie.

"He definitely likes it," said ATT General Manager Richie Guerriero, who oversees 52 fighters, including 15 with UFC or WEC contracts. "He loves the training. He's in great shape and he is used to that competition mind-set. He's not so star struck. He has a quiet confidence and ****iness about him, which is pretty cool.

"He's young enough where he can give the Olympics another shot in 2012 or 2016. Right now his focus is mixed martial arts. He still has to pay his dues, but I think he can make an impact right away on a smaller scale and see what happens after a year or two."

Askren plans to commute between Coconut Creek, Columbia, Mo., and Hartland, Wis., where he grew up and was a star wrestler at Arrowhead High. He is a volunteer assistant coach at Missouri where his younger brother Max still wrestles.

"I am going to accomplish my goals wherever I'm at because I have that inner drive," Askren said. "Yes, this is probably the best gym in the country and I will be spending a lot of time here but I am not going to move here. It might take a little more work and it might be a little harder, but if you want something bad enough you can do it."

He plans on making his pro debut in Columbia, Mo., where he has a large fan base. His second fight is scheduled for the Feb. 26 Proving Grounds Cagefighting card at the James L. Knight Center in Miami.

"I'm not good yet but I'm going to be," Askren said. "It's not like I am going to fight Georges St. Pierre tomorrow. I am going to start out at the bottom. I am going to start out with fights that aren't that difficult. I don't have to stay on my feet. I can take somebody down. It is going to be a learning process. I'm not going to be a great striker in two months, maybe two years.

"It's going to take time, I understand that. I know I am a beginner and I might lose here and there but so what. In a couple months I am not going to be submitted and you're not going to beat me in my wrestling. Somebody who wants to beat me better knock me out. As long as at the end of the day I am the best, that's all that matters. I am too strong a competitor to go down easy and I definitely can be the best."

[GeneChing]

I hope he goes for it. He seems to have the right attitude towards the sport.

Fight Path: After 2008 Olympics, Ben Askren's few options included MMA
by Kyle Nagel on Feb 05, 2009 at 8:58 am ET

When Ben Askren was a kid, his family kept crude pairs of boxing gloves in the basement of their Hartland, Wis., home. Askren and friends would sometimes fight with them on the wrestling mats placed for the Askren brothers' true sport.

Like in wrestling, Askren dominated.

"I always won, but not because I was great," Askren said. "The other guys just weren't good. I was trying something new."

It could've been the last time Askren was dabbling in a different sport, until this weekend. The college national champion and Olympic wrestler will make his mixed-martial-arts debut on Saturday when he headlines "Headhunters Fight League: The Patriot Act," an event he's promoting to bring an MMA presence to mid-Missouri.

It took him three tries to nail down an opponent (Josh Flowers), and he's dealing with administrative work in the days leading up to his professional debut. But nerves haven't taken hold, not when a competitor has twice been tabbed the nation's best and has battled on the world's biggest, once-in-four-years stage.

For everyone else, there are plenty of angles for excitement. They'll again watch the energetic, charismatic, entertaining Askren in a timed, physical match, which wasn't always a certainty. They'll see one of wrestling's top performers of the past two years make a move to MMA, burgeoning interest in the event and the sport.

They could also see the beginning of a new career that would make Askren yet another top wrestler to transition into MMA.

"I'm a calm guy, so I won't get jacked up until I get in the cage," Askren said. "And I'm not even really sure what's going to happen."

One of the best

By age 14, Askren was a success in every sport in his Wisconsin town. With a father who was a high school wrestler, a younger brother who was involved and with great potential, Askren chose to focus solely on the sport of wrestling.

In winning youth state titles in seventh and eighth grades, Askren noticed his own potential.

"I like the physical nature of the sport. It's just you and the other guy," he said. "You can't point to anyone else about what happens. You have all the responsibility, and it's all up to you in how you prepare."

After placing second in the state as a freshman, Askren won three state championships before an award-filled career at the University of Missouri made him a two-time national champion at 174 pounds with 153 college wins and an 87-match winning streak as a junior and senior. He was a success outside the sport, as well, as he served as president of the university's Student Athlete Advisory Council.

An underdog to many to make the U.S. Olympic team for the Beijing games, Askren blew though the one-day qualifying tournament to become the team's 163-pound (74-kilogram) representative. The media swarmed him, as much for his floppy hair and personality as for his college success. Everyone loved the story about Askren handing his camera to a stranger at the Opening Ceremonies to snap a picture of him. The stranger was Barbara Bush, daughter of President George W. Bush.

But Askren wasn't familiar with the international brand of wrestling. He had to cut his hair for the Games because competitors from other countries would pull on it for an advantage.

Askren's Olympic experience ended in the second round with a loss to Cuban Ivan Fundora, an experienced international competitor.

"I wish I had been more prepared," Askren said. "The move the Cuban got on me, I had never seen it before. It totally caught me by surprise. I wish I would have changed my training, where I was competing, how I was doing it. But it was over."

His wrestling career stalled with few professional opportunities, Askren decided to follow a line of wrestlers before him and train for MMA.

A major move

Askren, though, almost made the decision much earlier.

"I almost skipped the Olympic thing," Askren said of potentially beginning his MMA career sooner. "MMA has been on my mind for awhile, and there are four years until the next Olympics, so now is the time to see if I can do it."

Askren began his MMA training while still in college, dabbling in jiu jitsu at American Top Team of Missouri, the Columbia, Mo. training center. After a few post-Olympic vacations, Askren joined the gym as the lead instructor of its wrestling program and became an assistant coach with the University of Missouri wrestling program.

All the while, he improved. He has become a regular twice-a-day participant in training.

"The hardest part is I'm terrible at stand-up," Askren said. "I'm learning how to defend, figure out my own moves, learn from experience. That's what I did in wrestling."

Not long ago, Askren and a few friends were sitting at American Top Team and decided Columbia could use its own event. Askren agreed to participate to help promote the show, so his decision features as much business sense as fighting savvy.

He gains confidence from watching other wrestlers make the MMA transition.

"The thing in MMA is there's such a large skill set," Askren said. "I wrestled 17 years fulltime, so I picked up a lot of skills, some I can use still. I know how to get in shape. I know some good ways to work out.

"I know everyone in the room is going to be tough, and nothing's going to be easy. There are no easy days, but it's like wrestling. You have to depend on yourself. The stronger man, the better man will win."

[GeneChing]

Anyone see this fight?

Askren dominates second MMA fight
Sunday, April 26, 2009 | 12:21 a.m. CDT
BY Jeffrey Stoffey

Dominating opponents is nothing new for Ben Askren.

Former MU wrestler Ben Askren,left, defeated Mitchell Harris at Holiday Inn Expo Center on Saturday, April 25, 2009. It was Askren's second mixed-martial arts fight and he has knocked out both of his opponents in the first round.

A two-time NCAA national champion wrestler at Missouri, Askren continued his new career of mixed martial arts Saturday night at the event called “The Patriot Act II” at the Holiday Inn Expo Center in Columbia.

Askren defeated Mitchell Harris by a technical knockout just 1:27 into the first round. The match was the second of Askren’s young MMA career. He won his first match by technical knockout against Josh Flowers in February.

The crowd Saturday night, many wearing Mizzou gear in support of the former wrestler, stuck around to watch the co-main event—the tenth and final match of the night. A fight between Lucas Lopes and Whisper Goodman was the other co-main event match. Lopes won by a unanimous decision.

Just before the final match, a plethora of boos rang across the Expo Center, directed at Askren’s opponent, Harris. When Askren was introduced, most of the crowd stood and cheered, the loudest ovation of the night.

Askren, who competed in the Beijing Olympic games last summer in wrestling, has found a new love after wrestling. Askren became one of the most noticeable wrestlers while at Missouri because of his “funky” curly hairstyle. Askren was pleased with the outcome of the night.

“That went really well. All of the fights were awesome,” Askren said. “I felt more comfortable on my feet tonight.”

Askren has been working hard to become known for his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu aspect of his fightinghttp. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a combat sport and martial art that focuses on grappling.

“Jiu-Jitsu, that’s my answer,” Francisco “Kiko” France, who has been training Askren, said. “It’s going to be really hard to stop Ben.”

Even though Askren won in the first round, France believes he could have beat Harris even faster.

“Ben is crazy. He knows he can win easy, but he wants to show everybody that he’s good at everything,” France said. “That what makes him a good fighter.”

Askren believes that learning Jiu-Jitsu is an important part to his success.

“My Jiu-Jitsu is getting better everyday,” Askren said.

Askren is unsure when his next fight will take place, but he wants it to be at a bigger venue.

“I would like to be 5 or 6 (wins) and 0 (losses) by the end of 2009,” Askren said.

While he hasn’t ruled out returning to the 2012 Olympics in London, he is happy with MMA for the moment.

“It’s a great feeling inside that cage,” Askren said.

[GeneChing]

Anyone follow Bellator here?

April 6, 2012 at 1:00 am
Ben Askren gets toughest challenge of career Friday at Windsor
Matt Bishop

Windsor — At every level of wrestling growing up, Ben Askren didn't find initial success.

Whether it was as a youngster, in high school, at the collegiate level or internationally, Askren noted he always failed before he found success.

That's what makes Askren's ascension to the top of Bellator's welterweight division so interesting. In his sixth career fight, he won a Bellator tournament. In his seventh fight, he won the Bellator welterweight title. In his ninth fight, he defended it. Now Askren will get the toughest challenge of his career when he faces well-rounded challenger Douglas Lima on Friday at Bellator 64 at Caesars Windsor Hotel & Casino.

"I think I'm still a work in progress in a lot of different aspects of mixed martial arts," Askren said Wednesday.

So what's made him so successful off the bat in MMA when he never found initial success in wrestling?

"People aren't as good at this as they are at wrestling," Askren said. "Mixed martial arts is fairly new, (starting in 1993). It's just kind of gotten to that saturation in North America where a lot of people are competing in it. People just flat-out aren't as good. I'm ranked somewhere between 10th and 20th in the world at MMA and I would venture to say in wrestling, I might not even be in the top 50 anymore if I did come back to compete. I took seventh in the Olympics, but not competing in the last three or four years has probably dropped me down significantly. But I would say even though I'm 50th in one and 10th or 20th in the other, I would say I'm a significantly better wrestler than I am a mixed martial artist."

As a "work in progress," Askren made the move last year to train with Roufusport in Milwaukee, a camp primarily known for developing lethal strikers headed by former kickboxing world champion Duke Roufus.

That makes Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney excited for what he could have in Askren. Rebney says if Askren can get his striking to just 30 or 40 percent of what his wrestling is, he'll be the most dangerous welterweight in the world.

"The question is, can the rest of his game catch up to that unbelievable level his wrestling is at," Rebney said. "I think he's the best wrestler in mixed martial arts, bar none. I think he's the best in our game, but our game is not just wrestling, it's many other things. If that evolution can occur, the sky's the limit for Ben Askren."

The 27-year old Askren insists he feels no pressure from his unblemished 9-0 MMA record and it's easy to believe him. After all, this is the same man that was a two-time NCAA Division I runner-up, a two-time champion and competed in the Beijing Olympic Games. In fact, he welcomes any sort of pressure.

"For me, in wrestling, it was always the bigger the venue, the more pressure, the better I did," he said. "I don't know if that was so much the quality of me or my opponents cracking under the pressure, but I always really succeed at those high-pressure moments."

His fight with the 24-year old Lima (21-4) could bring some of those high-pressure situations that Askren thrives in. Not only is Lima an extremely powerful striker (he's won three of his last four fights by knockout), he's also very adept off his back. That said, Askren is such a smothering force on top that Lima's best chance will come on the feet.

"He's got to use his striking," Rebney said of Lima. "I think the thing Doug has that presents some issues is he's able to generate an amazing amount of power from a very short distance. Some guys in there striking can develop huge power, but it takes a huge wind-up, it takes distance. … That's what makes him very dangerous to anybody, especially somebody who's searching for the takedown with their arms open. It leaves holes."

What are Lima's plans to counter Askren's wrestling? Well, it's pretty simple: Hit him.

"I've been working a lot on my wrestling defense and my coaches and training partners have helped me," Lima said. "It'll be my jiu-jitsu against his wrestling, so it should be an interesting fight."

The Askren-Lima fight headlines Bellator 64, which also features two bouts in the company's bantamweight tournament and a featherweight tournament semifinal fight. The first fight kicks off a 7 p.m. with the show going live on MTV2 at 8 p.m. Tickets, priced $30-$125 Canadian, are available through Ticketmaster and the Caesars Windsor box office.

[Shaolin]

Good wrestling, okay Jiu Jitsu, garbage striking, I'm not impressed. He's just another wrestler competing in MMA. He'll do fine against lower tiered fighters but once he faces a striker who can stuff his take downs he'll fade quickly.

[Frost]

good luck finding a striker who can do that lol

[Shaolin]

Georges St. Pierre

Carlos Condit

Nick Diaz

Jake Ellenberger

Johny Hendricks (wrestler but more of a striker now)

Wrestlers who could beat Askrin

Matt Hughes

Josh Koscheck

Jake Shields

Diego Sanchez

Jon Fitch