Ben Askren

Benjamin Michael Askren is a retired professional mixed martial artist and amateur wrestler from the United States. Askren was once retired Bellator and ONE wrestler Champion, being unconquered for over ten years (UFC) before taking part in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Ben Askren| Early Life, Family, Education, and Nationality

Ben was born on July 18, 1984, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the second-largest city in the state. Chuck and Michele Askren gave birth to him.

He also spent his boyhood with his older brother, Max Askren. Max, like him, is a professional wrestler who won a national championship in 2010.

Ben, by the way, was reared as a Christian. Next, when it comes to Ben’s education, he attended Arrowhead High School, where he graduated from high school. He won the state wrestling championship twice while at the school.

Thenceforth, he went to the Missouri University. He worked as an assistant wrestling coach at Arizona State University at the same time.

He won numerous honorable awards in wrestling throughout his undergraduate years, which helped him advance in his professional career.

Career| Wrestling Career

During his collegiate wrestling career, he competed in the 174-pound weight class. Significantly, as a university amateur wrestler.

After successive failures in the same competition in 2004 and 2005, he won the National Collegiate Athletic Association Championship match in 2006 and 2007.

He still owns the NCAA single-season pin record. In 2006 and 2007 Ben also gained gold medals at the Big twelve Championships.

Also in the 2006 and 2007 seasons, Ben went unconquered with a forty-two by zero. Likewise, Ben also gained the Big twelve Conference Championship in 2004, 2006, and 2007.

During that period, he was known for his unorthodox ‘funky’ wrestling style and pinning abilities. He concluded his NCAA wrestling career with an incredible 87-match winning streak and a 153-8 record.

During his 4 years of Missouri, Ben lose against Oklahoma State’s Chris Pendleton and Purdue’s Ryan Lange.

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Olympics 2008

Similarly, at the US Olympic Trials, he defeated national runner-up Tyrone Lewis to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics. Likewise, Ben also victoried his first match, playing in the 163 lbs weight class.

After losing in the round of eight to Cuba’s Ivan Fundora and Fundora’s loss in the quarterfinal, he was forced to withdraw from the competition without receiving a medal.

Later, Ben’s wrestling career came to an end. He did, however, participate in wrestling a few times.

After that, he defeated Cuba’s Fundora in the semifinals of the Cerro Pelado International in 2010 to avenge his Olympic loss. He also competed in the Agon Wrestling Championships as well as the Flo Premier League.

MMA career

Ben began fighter training at the American Top Team’s main academy in Florida after the Olympics. He made his first appearance in his MMA career on February 7, 2009, in Columbia fighting against Josh Flowers.

Later, Ben won against Mitchell Harris in Columbia at Patriot Act 2 Following that, he competed in the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in Barcelona in 2009.

After defeating Toni Linden in the first round, Ben was knocked out of the competition by Pablo Popovitch in the second round.

Later, Ben victoried gold in the 185 lbs division at the 2009 FILA 20 World Grappling Championship,

ONE Championship

He signed a two-year contract with ONE Championship after his release. Ben won the ONE Fighting Championship: Honor and Glory event on May 30 by defeating Bakhtiyar Abbasov, who had a nine-fight win streak at the time.

After defeating Nobutastsu Suzuki at ONE FC: Reign of Champions on August 29, 2014, he was crowned the new ONE Welterweight Champion. He won all six of his contract fights, with one being called a “no contest.”

UFC

Another important detail is that Ben joined the UFC on November 3, 2018, as part of an “exchange UFC and ONE Championship arrangement.” He made his UFC debut at UFC 235, where he won a controversial decision over former UFC Welterweight Champion Robbie Lawler.

Later, Ben suffered two droppings: the fastest technical knockout in UFC history opposed Jorge Masvidal and the dropping of the ‘Fight of the Night’ award to Demian Maia.

Finally, on November 18, 2019, he announced his retirement from the MMA competition.

Ben Askren| Achievements & Awards

In his 2005-2006 collegiate season, Askren pinned in 25 of his 45 wins, earning him the Schalles Award for Top Collegiate Pinner of the Year in 2006 and 2007.

He was the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Champion in 2006 and 2007 and a four-time NCAA Division I All-American Finalist since 2004.

Likewise, Ben obtained the Dan Hodge Trophy in 2006 and 2007, for Collegiate Wrestler of the Year. In 2012, the University of Missouri inducted him into the Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame.

Askren also won gold at the 2005 Pan American Championships Senior Freestyle, the 2007 and 2009 Hargobind International Tournament Senior Freestyle, the 2007 NYAC Holiday International Open Senior Freestyle, the 2010 Dave Schultz Memorial International Open Senior Freestyle, and the FILA 2009 Grappling World Championships Senior No-Gi.

In 2008, he won the USA Senior Freestyle National Championship, and in 2009, he won the FILA World Team Trials Senior No-Gi.

Ben also won the Bellator Welterweight Championship in Season 2. He also holds the Bellator record for most consecutive years defending the title (four).

In addition, since capturing the ONE Welterweight Championship in 2014, he has successfully defended the championship three times.

Net Worth and Salary

Ben Askren’s net worth is estimated to be $10 million as of April 2021. The majority of his fortune came from his professional MMA fighting career.

To be clear, some reports claim that his current annual total income is around $500,000.

He also owns a Lamborghini and has previously owned Rolls Royce and other high-end vehicles. To summarize, he lives a happy and prosperous life.

And he deserves it all after all of his years of struggling on and off the stage.

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Is Ben Askren Single? Relationship Status

Ben married Amy Askren in front of their friends and family on April 9, 2010. He has three children with her thus far, a boy and two daughters.

Ben is also seen spending time with his wife and children throughout his vacations and holidays.

His marriage is reported to be healthy as a result of this, and Amy was quite supportive of his professional job. However, no specific information regarding his children has been discovered.

Social Media Handles:

Ben Askren is pretty active on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Askren has got over 501k  followers on Twitter, 155k followers on Facebook, and 840k followers on Instagram.

Quick Facts:

• Full Name: Benjamin Michael Askren
• Birthdate: July 18, 1984
• Birthplace: Cedar Rapids, Iowa, US
• Father’s Name: Chuck Askren
• Mother’s Name: Michele Askren
• Nickname: Funky
• Age: 37 years old
• Height: 5 feet 10 inches (178 cm)
• Weight: 77 kg (170 lbs)
• Nationality: American
• Education: University of Missouri
• Horoscope: Cancer
• Siblings: One brother (Max Askren)
• Profession: Mixed Martial Art Fighter
• Marital Status: Married
• Spouse: Amy Askren
• Children: Three
• Net Worth: $10 million
• Salary: $500,000
• Social Media Handles: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

What religion is Ben Askren?

Benjamin Michael Askren’s religion is Christianity

What type of fighter is Ben Askren?

Ben is a wrestler who fights for America.

Why is Ben called Funky?

Askren is recognized for his unorthodox “funky” style of wrestling, which largely focuses on scrambling methods that he has developed over the years. Now, just because he enjoys throwing his opponents into a tangle doesn’t mean he isn’t a skilled wrestler.