Ben Askren is a retired American mixed martial artist, boxer, and Olympic wrestler. He held welterweight championship titles in both Bellator and ONE Championship, maintaining an undefeated record for over ten years. This streak ended with his entry into the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Askren's background is primarily in wrestling, where he competed at the Olympic level. He transitioned to mixed martial arts and achieved significant success before ultimately retiring from professional fighting.
July 18, 1984: Birth of Ben Askren
Ben Askren was born on July 18, 1984.
2003: Freshman Year at Missouri Tigers
Ben Askren began his freshman year at Missouri Tigers in 2003.
2004: Sophomore Year at Missouri Tigers
Ben Askren started his sophomore year at Missouri Tigers in 2004.
2005: Pan American Champion
Ben Askren won the Pan American championship in freestyle wrestling in 2005.
2005: Junior Year at Missouri Tigers
Ben Askren's junior year at Missouri Tigers began in 2005.
2006: Senior Year at Missouri Tigers and First Dan Hodge Trophy
Ben Askren started his senior year at Missouri Tigers and won his first Dan Hodge Trophy in 2006.
2007: Adapting to Freestyle Wrestling
Ben Askren began adapting his wrestling style to freestyle in 2007.
2007: Second Dan Hodge Trophy and Graduation
In 2007, Ben Askren received his second Dan Hodge Trophy and graduated.
2008: Member of US Olympic Team
In 2008, Ben Askren became a member of the US Olympic Team.
2008: Jacob Volkmann becomes World Champion
Jacob Volkmann became World Champion in 2008.
2008: 2008 Summer Olympics
Ben Askren participated in the 2008 Summer Olympics.
February 7, 2009: MMA Debut
Ben Askren made his professional MMA debut on February 7, 2009, defeating Josh Flowers.
2009: 2009 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship
Ben Askren competed in the 2009 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship.
2009: Match against Jake Herbert
Ben Askren defeated Jake Herbert in a folkstyle wrestling match in 2009.
2009: 2009 FILA World Grappling Championship
Ben Askren won gold at the 2009 FILA World Grappling Championship.
2009: Amateur World Championships in Disc Golf
In 2009, Ben Askren finished ninth in the Amateur World Championships of disc golf.
April 15, 2010: Bellator 14
Ben Askren defeated Ryan Thomas at Bellator 14 on April 15, 2010, in a controversial victory.
October 21, 2010: Bellator Welterweight Championship
Ben Askren won the Bellator Welterweight Championship on October 21, 2010, by defeating Lyman Good.
2010: Victory at Cerro Pelado International and Dave Schultz Memorial International
Ben Askren won the Cerro Pelado International and the Dave Schultz Memorial International in 2010.
2010: Marriage
Ben Askren married his wife, Amy, in 2010. They have three children together.
January 9, 2012: Induction into the University of Missouri Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame.
Ben Askren was inducted into the University of Missouri Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame on January 9, 2012.
April 6, 2012: Bellator 64
Ben Askren successfully defended his Bellator Welterweight Championship against Douglas Lima at Bellator 64 on April 6, 2012.
January 24, 2013: Bellator 86
On January 24, 2013, at Bellator 86, Ben Askren defended his title against Karl Amoussou.
November 14, 2013: Release from Bellator
Bellator released Ben Askren on November 14, 2013.
December 9, 2013: Signing with ONE Championship
Ben Askren signed with ONE Championship on December 9, 2013.
August 29, 2014: ONE Fighting Championship: Reign of Champions
Ben Askren became the ONE Welterweight Champion at ONE Fighting Championship: Reign of Champions on August 29, 2014.
April 15, 2016: ONE Championship: Global Warriors
Ben Askren defeated Nikolay Aleksakhin at ONE Championship: Global Warriors on April 15, 2016.
May 26, 2017: ONE Championship: Dynasty of Heroes
Ben Askren defeated Agilan Thani at ONE Championship: Dynasty of Heroes on May 26, 2017.
September 7, 2017: Victory over Zebaztian Kadestam
On September 7, 2017, Ben Askren secured a TKO victory against Zebaztian Kadestam at ONE Championship: Shanghai.
November 24, 2017: Retirement after victory over Shinya Aoki
On November 24, 2017, at ONE Championship: Immortal Pursuit, Ben Askren announced his retirement before his bout against Shinya Aoki. He then won the fight via TKO in the first round and subsequently retired.
November 3, 2018: Signing with the UFC
On November 3, 2018, Ben Askren was signed by the UFC in a trade agreement with ONE Championship, in exchange for Demetrious Johnson.
March 2, 2019: Controversial win against Robbie Lawler
Ben Askren made his UFC debut on March 2, 2019, at UFC 235 against Robbie Lawler. Askren won the fight by bulldog choke in the first round after a controversial stoppage by the referee.
May 2019: Match against Jordan Burroughs
Ben Askren lost to Jordan Burroughs in May 2019 at the Beat the Streets benefit event.
July 6, 2019: Fastest knockout loss to Jorge Masvidal
On July 6, 2019, at UFC 239, Ben Askren faced Jorge Masvidal. Askren lost the fight via a flying knee knockout just five seconds into the first round, making it the fastest knockout in UFC history.
October 26, 2019: Loss to Demian Maia and Fight of the Night award
On October 26, 2019, at UFC on ESPN+ 20, Ben Askren lost to Demian Maia by technical submission in the third round. Askren received the Fight of the Night award for this bout.
November 18, 2019: Retirement announcement
On November 18, 2019, Ben Askren officially announced his retirement from mixed martial arts.
2020: Hip Surgery and Return to Wrestling
Ben Askren had a successful hip surgery and announced his intention to return to wrestling in 2020.
April 17, 2021: Boxing match loss to Jake Paul
On April 17, 2021, Ben Askren faced Jake Paul in a boxing match and lost by TKO in the first round.
2021: Interest in rematch with Masvidal
Starting in 2021, Ben Askren expressed interest in returning to MMA for a rematch with Jorge Masvidal.