Ben Askren News
Ben Askren: Conor McGregor 'jealous' of Khabib Nurmagomedov after latest scathing comments
Curtis Calhoun - May 21, 2024
Former UFC welterweight Ben Askren unleashed on Conor McGregor after McGregor’s mockery of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s legal troubles. McGregor is set to return to the Octagon against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29. He’ll return after a three-year absence, months of speculation about his comeback, and his coaching appearance on The Ultimate Fighter.
Ben Askren reacts to Jon Jones vs. Alex Pereira chatter: "You can’t leave Tom Aspinall sitting here with the interim belt"
Fernando Quiles - May 12, 2024
Ben Askren isn’t a fan of the talk of Jon Jones fighting Alex Pereira before he mixes it up with Tom Aspinall. Jones is the UFC Heavyweight Champion, but he hasn’t made a title defense yet despite winning the gold back in March 2023. “Bones” was scheduled to put the championship on the line against Stipe Miocic back in November 2023, but an injury derailed that plan. Tom Aspinall ended up winning the interim heavyweight gold by knocking out Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295.
Ben Askren responds to Paige VanZant jabbing him as 'Not a fighter' despite several world titles
Curtis Calhoun - May 3, 2024
Former UFC welterweight contender Ben Askren hit back at Paige VanZant’s claims that he’s not an athlete worth recognition as a fighter. VanZant is scheduled to face OnlyFans model Elle Brooke for the Misfits Boxing women’s middleweight title on May 25th. She returns to combat sports for the first time since a loss to Rachael Ostovich at Bare Knuckle FC 19.
Chris Weidman compares Alex Pereira’s wrestling “deficiency” to Ben Askren’s striking
Cole Shelton - April 23, 2024
Chris Weidman thinks there is a major hole in Alex Pereira’s game, and he’s comparing it to Ben Askren’s striking. Pereira is coming off the first defense of his light heavyweight title as he scored a first-round knockout win over Jamahal Hill in the main event of UFC 300. Pereira hasn’t even been in the UFC for three full years and already has won titles in two different weight classes.
Ben Askren reflects on his one-off boxing match against Jake Paul: "He's actually kind of good, which is unfortunate"
Josh Evanoff - March 22, 2024
Nearly three years removed from his boxing match with Jake Paul, Ben Askren doesn’t have too many bad feelings. ‘Funky’ was one of the first fighters to step up, and call out ‘The Problem Child’. After Jake Paul knocked out former NBA player Nate Robinson on the undercard of Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr., Ben Askren aimed at the YouTuber. The former UFC welterweight had retired a year earlier and got a hip replacement in retirement.
Ben Askren weighs in on Dana White’s UFC 300 main event announcement: “You let us down a little bit”
Susan Cox - February 23, 2024
Ben Askren is weighing in on Dana White’s UFC 300 main event announcement. UFC 300 is now less than 2 months away, taking place on Saturday, April 13th, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada.
Ben Askren would "absolutely" face Jorge Masvidal in UFC 300 rematch: "I'll fight him!"
Josh Evanoff - January 3, 2024
Former UFC welterweight contender Ben Askren is willing to run it back against Jorge Masvidal. ‘Gamebred’ made headlines earlier this week, officially announcing that he was out of retirement. Now, the announcement from Jorge Masvidal wasn’t exactly shocking. In recent months, the former UFC title challenger has teased that he will be returning in 2024.
Ben Askren claims Robert Whittaker had a serious ankle injury going into Dricus Du Plessis fight
Cole Shelton - January 3, 2024
Ben Askren has an idea why Robert Whittaker struggled against Dricus Du Plessis in July. Whittaker and Du Plessis were fighting at UFC 290 in July in a potential number-one contender fight at middleweight. The Aussie entered the fight as the betting favorite, but it was Du Plessis who pulled off the upset as he scored a second-round TKO for the biggest win of his career.
Ben Askren scoffs at Jorge Masvidal’s offer to have a rematch under boxing rules: “He’s scared of being embarrassed”
Susan Cox - August 10, 2023
Former Bellator and ONE champion Ben Askren is scoffing at Jorge Masvidal’s offer to have a rematch under boxing rules. It was when speaking with ‘TMZ Sports‘ this past July that the 38-year-old Masvidal called out Askren saying:
Jorge Masvidal reacts after Ben Askren calls for rematch
Harry Kettle - July 26, 2023
Former UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal has reacted to Ben Askren calling for a rematch with him in the future. Four years ago, Jorge Masvidal became a superstar. While his wins over Darren Till and Nate Diaz were notable, it was his vicious knockout of Ben Askren that really put him on the map. Just five seconds into their highly anticipated grudge match, ‘Gamebred’ was able to knock Askren out cold with a nasty knee to the head.
Ben Askren shares direct messages with Dana White regarding a potential UFC rematch with Jorge Masvidal
Susan Cox - July 25, 2023
Ben Askren has shared direct messages with Dana White regarding a potential UFC rematch with Jorge Masvidal. Jorge Masvidal (35-17 MMA) and Ben Askren (19-2 MMA) met in the Octagon in July of 2019 at UFC 239. The result was a knockout victory for Masvidal at 0:05 of Round 1. It was to be the fastest KO in UFC history.
Ben Askren scoffs at Conor McGregor’s claim that he plans on fighting 3 or 4 times in the next year: “That’s crazy talk”
Susan Cox - June 3, 2023
Ben Askren has scoffed at Conor McGregor’s claim that he plans on fighting 3 or 4 times in the next year. The Irishman, 34, has not fought in the Octagon since his TKO loss to Dustin Poirier (29-7 MMA) in July of 2021 at UFC 264.
Ben Askren calls out Jon Jones after recent Francis Ngannou remarks
Lewis Simpson - May 18, 2023
Ben Askren has an issue with the UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones following his recent remarks directed at Francis Ngannou. Following the announcement that Ngannou would sign a record-breaking deal with the PFL, Jones quickly poked jabs at the former UFC heavyweight champion. Earlier this year, Ngannou revealed he wouldn’t re-sign with the UFC and would test the waters of free agency.
Jorge Masvidal details why he was "95 percent certain" that his flying knee would KO Ben Askren
Cole Shelton - March 22, 2023
Jorge Masvidal was confident he would be able to KO Ben Askren with a flying knee after he got face-to-face with him. Masvidal and Askren fought back in July of 2019 at UFC 239 at International Fight Week in a highly anticipated fight. The pair engaged in a ton of trash talk in the leadup to the contest, with Askren claiming he would easily be able to outwrestle Masvidal. Once the pair went face-to-face, ‘Gamebred’ was certain ‘Funky’ would try and shoot right away.
Ben Askren shares his thoughts on the UFC’s complex welterweight title picture
Harry Kettle - March 22, 2023
Former UFC fighter Ben Askren has given his thoughts on the current state of the promotion’s welterweight title picture. Last weekend at UFC 285, Leon Edwards successfully retained the UFC welterweight championship. He did so by defeating Kamaru Usman, the same man he knocked out for the belt last summer.
Ben Askren believes Jorge Masvidal was pressured into accepting fight with Gilbert Burns at UFC 287: “He doesn’t think he’s gonna win either”
Harry Kettle - February 1, 2023
Ben Askren has explained why he doesn’t believe Jorge Masvidal will defeat Gilbert Burns when they meet at UFC 287. It’s no secret that Ben Askren and Jorge Masvidal don’t like each other. After all, ‘Gamebred’ was the one who knocked Askren out cold when they met back in 2019.
Ben Askren open to a rematch with Jake Paul in PFL if the UFC will allow it: “I’d love to rub his face in the canvas”
Harry Kettle - January 6, 2023
Ben Askren has explained how his UFC contract could prevent him from facing Jake Paul in a mixed martial arts bout. Back in April 2021, Ben Askren opted to step foot into the boxing ring to take on Jake Paul. Many weren’t quite sure how it would play out but in the end, ‘The Problem Child’ dusted Askren within the first round.
Ben Askren praises Paddy Pimblett's attitude following controversial win over Jared Gordon: "That’s what early McGregor would have done"
Josh Evanoff - December 14, 2022
While many are attacking Paddy Pimblett, Ben Askren liked what he saw at UFC 282. ‘The Baddy’ made his return to the octagon last Saturday night on pay-per-view. The bout was just Pimblett’s fourth in the promotion, and despite that, he’s already a star. Promotional deals with brands such as Barstool Sports have only raised his profile further.