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Ben Askren takes aim at ‘dork’ Conor McGregor after NMF Title tweet
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 […]
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Ben Askren believes Kamaru Usman made crucial error in UFC 245 post-fight interview
Kamaru Usman got the win he sought at UFC 245, weathering some early adversity to stop his ferocious challenger Colby Covington in the fifth round. According to the newly retired Ben Askren, however, Usman made one key blunder at UFC 245: He fibbed to the fans in his post-fight interview. Early on in his interview with […]
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Jorge Masvidal gives a respectful shoutout to Ben Askren, “Funky” responds
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 […]
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Ben Askren roasts Colby Covington over failed Kamaru Usman diss
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 […]
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Ben Askren fires back after Mike Perry calls him a “bum”
Former UFC welterweight contender Ben Askren fired back at Mike Perry after “Platinum” called “Funky” a bum, suggesting Perry will one day be homeless. Perry was recently a guest on UFC Unfiltered and called Askren a “bum” while criticizing his performances inside the Octagon. Askren went 1-2 with the UFC with a controversial technical submission […]
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Jorge Masvidal reacts to Ben Askren’s retirement
Earlier this month, former ONE and Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren announced his retirement from MMA. This week, Jorge Masvidal — easily Askren’s most high-profile rival in the UFC —gave his take on that retirement. Despite the war of words that raged between Askren and Masvidal, and the violent way with which their fight ended, […]
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Michael Bisping scoffs at Ben Askren retiring over a hip replacement
Michael Bisping is not buying that Ben Askren retired from the sport of mixed martial arts due to his need for a hip replacement. The former UFC middleweight champion discussed Askren’s recently announced retirement on his most recent edition of the ‘Believe You Me’ podcast where he insinuated that hip replacement is not career-ending surgery, […]
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Brendan Schaub weighs in on Ben Askren’s retirement
Brendan Schaub is giving Ben Askren props for giving it a shot with the UFC. Askren wrapped up his MMA career after going 1-2 under the UFC banner. “Funky” cited needing to undergo hip replacement surgery as the reason for his decision. While Askren’s UFC run may not have been a total success, his reigns […]
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Ben Askren wants to give television commentary a try
Recently retired UFC welterweight Ben Askren says that he wants to give television commentary for MMA events a try now that his fighting career is over. Askren announced his retirement Monday on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show, citing a need for hip replacement surgery as the main factor behind his decision. Askren was undefeated heading into […]
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Chael Sonnen caught off guard by Ben Askren’s retirement announcement
Chael Sonnen admits that Ben Askren’s decision to hang up his gloves for good surprised him. Askren went into the UFC with a ton of hype. “Funky” had captured Bellator and ONE Championship gold. While Askren initially retired, he ended up signing with the UFC via a trade with ONE for Demetrious Johnson. Askren went […]
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Dillon Danis sends message to newly retired Ben Askren
From the moment Ben Askren announced his retirement from MMA, you knew it was only a matter of time before Dillon Danis — one of Askren’s chief naysayers — chimed in. It’s finally happened. Surprisingly though, Danis’ message to the newly retired former ONE and Bellator champion was quite classy. But it did include a […]
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ONE Championship pays tribute to retired Ben Askren
Ben Askren announced his retirement on Monday afternoon, and he’s been receiving love from the MMA community ever since. He even got a nice tribute from ONE Championship, the organization that famously traded him to the UFC for Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson in 2018. See how ONE Championship sent Ben Askren off into retirement below: […]
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Ben Askren outlines the ‘storybook ending’ he would have preferred
Ben Askren is done fighting. The former ONE Championship and Bellator welterweight king announced the end of his fighting career on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday, adding that he now plans to undergo a hip replacement. Askren ends his fighting career on a two-fight skid, having come up short against Demian Maia and Jorge Masvidal, […]
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The MMA community reacts to Ben Askren’s retirement
Ben Askren has decided to hang up the gloves. The former ONE and Bellator welterweight title holder announced his retirement from mixed martial arts on Monday’s edition of Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show. Unsurprisingly, this news generated some interesting reactions from the MMA community. See some of the first reactions below: Congrats on an incredible career, […]
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Ben Askren announces retirement from MMA
Ben Askren has announced his retirement from MMA. Askren made this announcement on Monday’s edition of Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show, adding that he requires a hip replacement, and will undergo this complicated procedure now that his fighting days are done. Ben Askren to @arielhelwani: I’m retiring from the sport of mixed martial arts. #HelwaniShow — […]
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Demian Maia encourages Ben Askren to continue fighting
Earlier this year, Ben Askren stepped into the UFC’s Octagon for the first time, with mountains of hype associated with his name. After an impressive win over Robbie Lawler in his UFC debut, however, he’s experienced back-to-back losses to Jorge Masvidal and Demian Maia respectively — a five-second knockout and a submission. After these stoppage […]
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Kamaru Usman discusses Ben Askren’s recent loss to Demian Maia
It is no secret that current UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and former Bellator champion Ben Askren do not like each other. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ and ‘Funky’ have traded shots on social media numerous times in the past, but have yet to collide inside of the Octagon. Despite their rivalry, Kamaru Usman says he took […]
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Should Ben Askren retire? UFC and Bellator vet Chael Sonnen weighs in
Ben Askren’s fighting future will boil down to how “Funky” is feeling mentally, at least that’s what Chael Sonnen believes. Askren has dropped back-to-back bouts and was stopped in both outings. He suffered a record-setting knockout loss to Jorge Masvidal back in July and was choked out by Demian Maia at UFC Singapore. Askren recently […]
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Michael Bisping: Demian Maia was the worst possible matchup for Ben Askren
Michael Bisping always believed that Demian Maia would prove to be a tough matchup for Ben Askren. This past Saturday, Askren returned to Singapore to meet Maia in a welterweight clash. The bout headlined UFC Singapore in Kallang. “Funky” was hoping to rebound from his record-setting knockout loss to Jorge Masvidal back in July. It […]
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Dana White praises Ben Askren after loss to Demian Maia
The days of Dana White and Ben Askren publicly bashing each other seem to be over. In fact, White has leapt to Askren’s defense after Askren was submitted by Demian Maia in the UFC Singapore main event over the weekend. Askren, who is now 1-2 in the UFC, is being written off by many fans […]
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Ben Askren believes he still can prove he’s the best fighter in the world
Two straight losses haven’t derailed Ben Askren’s confidence. Askren retired in 2017 because he could not get a shot in the UFC to prove he was the best welterweight in the world. Yet, this year that all changed. He made his Octagon debut in March with a submission win over Robbie Lawler. Since then though, […]
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UFC rankings update: Ben Askren takes a tumble, Dominick Cruz exits
The official UFC rankings have been updated in the wake of last Saturday’s UFC Singapore card, and as expected, former ONE and Bellator champ Ben Askren has taken a tumble down the welterweight rankings after losing to Demian Maia in the main event. In victory, Maia has hiked up four spots to No. 6. Elsewhere […]
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Douglas Lima on Ben Askren: “I don’t see any hunger in him when he steps in there”
Douglas Lima is once again the Bellator MMA welterweight champion and is also $1 million richer after defeating Rory MacDonald at Bellator 232. It was a tough day road through the Welterweight World Grand Prix for Lima to get his title back and while he’s back at the top, a former opponent of his is […]
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Ben Askren says retirement is ‘definitely something’ he’s considering after Demian Maia loss
Ben Askren’s time in MMA may be over once again. Back in 2017, Askren retired from the sport after he defended his ONE Championship welterweight title. He said he had nothing else to prove as he wanted to show he was the best in the world. But, a rare trade to the UFC got him […]
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What’s next for Demian Maia and Ben Askren after UFC Singapore?
At Saturday’s UFC Singapore card, Demian Maia and Ben Askren were looking to prove who was the best grappler in the UFC’s welterweight division. Maia is the Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace while Askren is a former Olympic wrestler and All-American. This time around, jiu jitsu trumped wrestling, as Demian Maia submitted Ben Askren in the third […]
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Dana White calls Ben Askren for Demetrious Johnson an ‘amazing trade’ for the UFC
Sunday marked the one-year anniversary of the infamous Ben Askren for Demetrious Johnson trade between the UFC and ONE Championship. Replying to a fan on social media, UFC president Dana White called it an “amazing trade” for the UFC. It was one year ago when the UFC and ONE Championship made history with MMA’s first-ever […]
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Looking back on the Ben Askren-Demetrious Johnson trade one year later
On Oct. 27, 2018, the MMA world was shaken up as it was announced the UFC and ONE Championship made a trade. The Las Vegas-based promotion traded longtime flyweight champion, Demetrious Johnson, to the Singapore-based promotion for the former welterweight champion, Ben Askren. Right away, fans wondered who came out on top in this trade. […]
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Dillon Danis proclaims himself “the best grappler in MMA” following Ben Askren’s loss to Demian Maia
Bellator’s Dillon Danis has proclaimed himself to be the “best grappler in MMA” following Ben Askren’s submission loss to Demian Maia at UFC Singapore. Dillon Danis, who is always vocal on his social media channels, took to Twitter to issue his latest bold statement. Here’s what Dillon Danis wrote. i am the best grappler in […]