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 \u2014 a five-second knockout and a submission.<\/p>\n
After these stoppage losses, some members of the MMA community believe Askren should retire. Askren himself seems to be thinking about it.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI mean retirement is definitely something I\u2019m considering. I\u2019d be lying to you if I said I was not,\u201d Ben Askren said on a recent episode of Ariel Helwani\u2019s MMA Show<\/a>. \u201cIt is a time-cost analysis. I have a lot of things I want to do in my life. I\u2019m a really busy guy. I have a lot of things I am passionate about and love. Not training specifically, but to and from setting stuff up, I spend 30 hours a week on MMA related stuff. Can I place my time better somewhere else is definitely a thought process that crosses my mind.”<\/p>\n In the eyes of Demian Maia, however, Askren should probably continue fighting.<\/p>\n