Ben Askren News

Natasha Hooper - July 6, 2020

Ben Askren has reacted to the news of his former opponent Jorge Masvidal’s upcoming fight against Kamaru Usman. On Sunday it was announced that the UFC welterweight champion Usman and the ‘BMF’ winner Masvidal will collide at Saturday’s UFC 251 event on Dana White’s Fight Island.

Tom Taylor - July 2, 2020

Former Bellator and ONE Championship welterweight titleholder Ben Askren has some financial advice for his fellow fighters. Speaking to MMA Fighting, Askren, who recently retired from competition after a 1-2 stretch in the UFC, emphasized the importance of saving, investing, and creating secondary sources of income for fighters.

Natasha Hooper - June 1, 2020

Ben Askren backs Jon Jones as he suspects the UFC is not paying him what he is worth. Jon Jones’ relationship with the UFC and its president, Dana White, has been tainted over a possible clash against Francis Ngannou. The light heavyweight champion has shared his interest in moving up a weight division to face the heavy-hitter. Ngannou has also shown mutual interest in the blockbuster bout.

Tom Taylor - May 26, 2020

Former Bellator and ONE Championship welterweight titleholder Ben Askren recently shared the names of the fighters he believes belong in the GOAT debate in MMA, but his list did not include former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor. 7 People in discussion for MMA GOAT. Some have much better cases than others, but all have cases. Fedor and BJ would have had cases had they retired earlier.

Chris Taylor - May 20, 2020

Former Bellator and ONE champion Ben Askren recently shared his theory on why fight fans have not seen Arianny Celeste working recent UFC events. The longtime Octagon girl, Celeste, was absent from all three of the promotions recent events in Jacksonville, Florida.

Cole Shelton - April 20, 2020

Gilbert Burns roasted former UFC welterweight Ben Askren on social media earlier today. During the quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Burns has been active on social media tweeting funny videos and memes. One meme he kept on using was a group of men carrying a coffin. Askren posted on social media wondering what it was about and Burns was quick to respond.

Cole Shelton - April 15, 2020

Ben Askren is retired from competing in mixed martial artists and wrestling but he still isn’t done trash-talking. Askren became massively popular in his UFC run for his ability to trash-talk his first two opponents in Robbie Lawler and Jorge Masvidal. Although “Funky” is retired, one of his wrestling rivals in Jordan Burroughs is still taking shots at the former Bellator and ONE champion.

Adam D Martin - April 12, 2020

Former UFC welterweight contender Ben Askren wonders that WWE superstar Ronda Rousey works on being unlikeable as part of her personality. Rousey has come under fire in recent days for her comments on professional wrestling, saying that they don’t participate in real fights as MMA fighters do. She also criticized wrestling fans, as well. Several WWE superstars defended themselves against Rousey’s comments, and fans weren’t happy with her remarks, either. Askren, no stranger to trash talk himself, wonders if Rousey is doing this on purpose.

Harry Kettle - April 3, 2020

Ben Askren has taken yet another shot at UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman – doing so through his Twitter account. There are very few people that seem to be capable of getting under the skin of “The Nigerian Nightmare”, but it certainly appears as if “Funky” is one of them, even months after his retirement from mixed martial arts.

Natasha Hooper - April 3, 2020

Jorge Masvidal may have found a new friend in his former foe, Ben Askren. On Twitter, the “BMF” winner asked his former opponent to join his “creative department”, to which “Funky” responded. In recent months, Masvidal has been targetting the welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. The fighters are expected to collide in the Octagon soon. For the meantime, “Gamebred” has used his time to mock the champion and even accuse him of having “multiple personalities”. This week, he posted a video of Usman that shows “The Nigerian Nightmare” contradicting himself and previously praising the BMF champion.

Tom Taylor - March 20, 2020

Ben Askren is very excited for the upcoming lightweight title fight between champ Khabib Nurmagomedov and challenger Tony Ferguson — which is why he’s offered up a plan to ensure it still happens despite the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking on a recent episode of Submission Radio, the former ONE Championship and Bellator welterweight king delved into the nuances of the matchup.

Tom Taylor - March 20, 2020

Ben Askren wants to see Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson fight as a badly as the rest of us, and he’s got an idea he believes will ensure the fight happens even amid coronavirus-related restrictions. Nurmagomedov and Ferguson have been scheduled to fight four times previously to no avail. The UFC attempted to book them for a fifth time at UFC 249 on April 18 in Brooklyn, New York, but of course the coronavirus pandemic had to come along and derail that plan.

Natasha Hooper - March 16, 2020

Ben Askren has dubbed Colby Covington “a dips**t”. Covington’s outspoken support of Donald Trump and offensive insults towards other fighters have polarized fans. The 32-year old and Askren have also traded their fair share of insults. “Funky” doesn’t deny Covington’s fighting talents but believes he has alienated himself and is a “terrible person”.

Adam D Martin - March 1, 2020

Former UFC welterweight Ben Askren says that the promotion’s current fighters need to form a union in order to receive “fair compensation.” A recent report from the New York Post revealed that UFC fighters are raging over their low pay while the promotion’s investors are reaping big dividends. UFC fighters, and MMA fighters in general, receive far less pay than the major four sports leagues in North America (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL) and many fighters have had enough of it.

Chris Taylor - January 18, 2020

Former Bellator and ONE champion Ben Askren believes there are some safe bets for tonight’s UFC 246: McGregor vs Cerrone event. The welterweight standout, Askren, who recently retired following his submission loss to Demian Maia at UFC Singapore, recently took to Twitter with the following information.

Mike Pendleton - January 9, 2020

Before she got her scheduled fight against Roxanne Modafferi at UFC 246, Maycee Barber was very public and open in her pursuit of a possible fight against Paige VanZant. For whatever the reason, the UFC decided to match Barber against  Modafferi at next weekend’s UFC 246 event, while VanZant will face Amanda Ribas in March. While a fight with VanZant would have been an easy way for more eyes to get on Barber who is ranked 9th in the flyweight division, a fight with Modafferi, who is ranked 7th in the division, makes more sense in Barber’s pursuit of a title.

Adam Martin - January 8, 2020

Former UFC welterweight contender Ben Askren said that he recently had an interview with sports leader ESPN for an MMA commentary gig. Askren retired from mixed martial arts after suffering a technical submission loss to Demian Maia in the main event of UFC Singapore. Prior to that, he was knocked out in just five seconds by Jorge Masvidal at UFC 239 after winning his Octagon debut via controversial technical submission against Robbie Lawler at UFC 235.

Harry Kettle - December 17, 2019

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 “Cowboy” Cerrone officially booked, many fans are anticipating that this could be his return to winning ways – with 2020 being highlighted as a potentially defining year for his career.