He came, he wrestled, he got funky, now he’s gone. Ben Askren was able to take out multiple-time lightweight champion and grappling guru Shinya Aoki at ONE Championship’s Immortal Pursuit in his retirement fight. He walks away from the sport with little to no damage and boasts an undefeated record of 18 wins, 11 of those victories being finishes. While he never got to display his skills inside the UFC’s Octagon, Askren is completely content with how his career has played out. That isn’t to say that an asterisk isn’t always above the ‘R’ word, but it would have to be something massive to get Askren to fight again.
@GeorgesStPierre how’s the spring weather in Montreal? I hear it’s a nice time to test your true Martial Arts skills
— Ben Askren (@Benaskren) November 25, 2017
Retirement never lasts long in MMA. https://t.co/F6m7XUoB08
— Guilherme Cruz (@guicruzzz) November 25, 2017
Mine had an * the entire time, only 1 way I fight again. https://t.co/30OKSKw72d
— Ben Askren (@Benaskren) November 25, 2017
There’s no telling what fight Georges St-Pierre is going to take next, but if Askren truly wants to prove to incessant critics that he’s the best welterweight of all time, St-Pierre seems like one of the only opponents that is big enough for Askren to come out of retirement for one last time. After all, Ben Askren has been vocal about never fighting his friend and UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley in the past. While it’s not something that haunts Askren at all, returning for one last scrap under the UFC banner would be downright poetic. For now though, it’s just a subtle wink of a Tweet and Askren is done for good.
“I’m calculated. This has been in my head for 20 years. I read all these sports biographies as a kid, and the one thing that became apparent is that everybody stays too long, and everybody goes broke. So, I told myself I would never stay too long and I would never go broke. I think [ONE will] actively look for [an opponent that would entice me back]. I’m one of their biggest stars, and that would be a huge fight for them. The MMA landscape is changing, right? ONE is doing great. The UFC, by my estimation, is a ship without a rudder right now. Bellator’s welterweight division is really good. The game is changing. If that opportunity were to come up, I’d immediately take it. I’ve asked them to go after free agents in the past. But in all honesty, I think this fight will be it.” — Ben Askren speaking to ESPN.
The legend leaves his legacy behind, retiring undefeated. Ladies and gentlemen, your ONE Welterweight World Champion. #Singapore #MartialArts pic.twitter.com/VIOch9hnsn
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) November 24, 2017
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 11/25/2017