Ben Askren is a retired professional mixed martial artist from the United States, as well as an amateur wrestler. Moreover, Ben Askren is a successful MMA fighter who has won the Bellator and ONE Welterweight Championship.
Early life
Benjamin Michael Askren best known as Ben Askren was born on 18 July 1984, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the United States of America. As of now, he is 37 years old and he is a citizen of America. Moreover, his nickname is Funky and he has a zodiac sign is Cancer.
In addition, he is the son of Chuck Askren (father) and Michele Askren (mother). Talking about his siblings, he has a brother whose name is Max Askren. In addition, his brother Max is also a wrestler who won a national championship in 2010.
Talking about his academic career, he studied at Arrowhead High School, where he completed his high school education. He was a two-time state wrestling champion at his high school. After that, he enrolled at the University of Missouri.
Professional career
Caption: Ben Askren fight against his opponent at the event (Source: ONE Championship)
Wrestling career
From his college, he started his professional career as a wrestler. During his college wrestling career, he competed in the 174-pound weight class as a university amateur wrestler. After consecutive defeats in the same competition in 2004 and 2005, he won the National Collegiate Athletic Association Championship match in 2006 and 2007. He still maintains the NCAA single-season pin record.
Moreover, he also won gold medals at the Big 12 Championships in 2006 and 2007. He went undefeated with a 42-0 record in the 2006-2007 season. In 2004, 2006, and 2007, he also won the Big 12 Conference Championship.
During that time, he was known for his unique ‘funky’ wrestling style and pinning skills. He finished his NCAA wrestling career with an incredible 87-match win and a 153-8 record. Chris Pendleton of Oklahoma State and Ryan Lange of Purdue are the only two opponents that beat Ben during his four years at Missouri. At the US Olympic Trials, he defeated national runner-up Tyrone Lewis to earn a spot in the 2008 Summer Olympics.
He also won his debut match, playing in the 74 kg weight class. In 2010, he defeated Cuba’s Fundora in the semifinals of the Cerro Pelado International to avenge his loss in the Olympics. Moreover, he also took part in the Agon Wrestling Championships and the Flo Premier League.
MMA Career
After finishing the Olympics, he began his fighting training in Florida at the American Top Team’s main academy. He made his professional MMA debut in Columbia on February 7, 2009, defeating Josh Flowers. Following that, he fought Mitchell Harris at Patriot Act 2 in Columbia, where he won.
After that, he competed in the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in Barcelona in 2009. Later, at the 2009 FILA 2o World Grappling Championship, he won gold in the 84 kg division. He joined ONE Championship with a two-year/six-fight contract. At ONE FC: Reign of Champions in 2014, he defeated ONE champion Nobutatsu Suzuki to win the ONE Welterweight Title.
In 2017, he left the company, and in 2018, he joined UFC. In March 2019, he won the UFC 235 defeating Robbie Lawler. He lost a fight in October 2019, this time to MMA veteran Demian Maia at UFC Fight of the(1) Night. Moreover, he announced his retirement from MMA the following month. Apart from MMA and Wrestling, he also played competitive disc golf.
In 2009, he won the Mighty MO Advanced, the St. Louis Open Advanced, the First Class Challenge, and the PDGA Amateur World Doubles Championships Advanced. After retiring, he runs the Askren Wrestling Academy, which he founded in 2011 alongside his brother Max. In addition, he co-hosts several podcasts, including FloWrestling Radio Live, The Funky & FRB Show, and The T-Row & Funky Show.
He has also served as the host of the RUDIS Wrestling Podcast. He has made bitcoin investments and supported firms such as Dollamur Sport, My Bookie, and Reebok. In 2021, he made his professional boxing debut against Jake Paul, an Internet sensation and professional fighter. In addition, Paul knocked him out in the first round.
Awards and Net Worth
Ben Askren has won the Schalles Award for Top Collegiate Pinner of the Year in 2006 and 2007. In 2006 and 2007, he received the Dan Hodge Trophy for Collegiate Wrestler of the Year. In 2012, the University of Missouri honored him in the Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame.
Talking about his net worth, it is estimated at around $10 million and his salary is around $500,000 annually.
Caption: Ben Askren posing with his One Championship (Source: ONE Championship)
Relationship Status
Caption: Ben Askren with his wife Amy (Source: Instagram)
Ben Askren married Amy Askren on 9th April 2010 in front of their family and friends. The couple has three children; one son and two daughters whose name is unknown.
As of now, the former fighter is not a part of controversy or rumors and is focused on his career.
Body measurement and Social media
Ben Askren is 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs around 77 kg. Moreover, he has blue eyes and dark brown hair in color. Apart from that, no additional details about Ben’s bodily measurements are available.
On his Instagram, there are more than 842k followers and there are more than 155k followers on Facebook. Likewise, there are more than 498.2k followers on Twitter.
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