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Ben Askren wants to give Manila crowd a fight to remember at ONE: ‘Global Rivals’
The last time Ben Askren headlined an event in Manila, things didn’t go according to plan. What looked set to be a close and competitive fight with Luis Santos came to an abrupt and premature end when the Brazilian was unable to continue after a first-round eye poke.
It was a major disappointment for the Filipino fans who were getting their first glimpse at arguably the world’s best welterweight. Askren has a chance to make some amends this Friday (April 15, 2016) when he defends his belt against Nikolay Aleksakhin in the exact same arena.
The American’s title bout against the Russian headlines ONE: “Global Rivals” and Askren is determined to show the Manila audience exactly what he is capable of.
“I am very excited to be fighting in Manila again. The fans in Manila have always been truly amazing and there’s a real fight culture there I do enjoy fighting there and I feel like I owe the fans a good show after what happened the last time.”
Much has been made of how this fight will pit the Combat Sambo of the Russian against the wrestling of the U.S. Olympian and two time NCAA Division-1 champion but the American doesn’t expect Aleksakhin to pose him many problems.
“I think that he is physically strong and tough, but I think his style is limited in what he can do and he is not very dynamic. I think his style will play right into my game plan.”
The “no contest” against Santos was followed by an aborted rematch with the Brazilian. It means he hasn’t completed a fight since 2014 and will be looking to make up for lost time this year.
“I better get moving then! I looking to retain my title and I am coming for that ‘W’.”
The Santos non-finish is the closest thing to a blemish on Askren’s record which currently reads 14-0-0-1. No elite level mixed martial artist has ever retired undefeated but it’s an accomplishment that looks to be well within the grasp of the former Bellator champion.
Wrestlers do seem to enjoy longevity in MMA with both Randy Couture and Dan Henderson enjoying success well into their 40s. Askren is currently 31 which means his competitive career could conceivably last for at least another decade but he says he will be hanging up his gloves a lot sooner than that.
“No chance of that (fighting into his 40s) happening for me. When I eventually retire from the sport I would definitely run my wrestling academies. It is very important to me personally because I love passing on my wrestling knowledge to the next generation of wrestlers so that they can have some of the successes that I did.”
With his successful chain of wrestling academies Askren has strong roots in the U.S. but he has been spending an increasing amount of time in Asia recently. He always does the final stage of his training camp at Evolve MMA in Singapore and says he will be well prepared for Aleksakhin.
“Well I spent the first part of my camp back in Milwaukee with Roufusport. I am currently finishing my fight camp with Evolve MMA here in Singapore with Heath Sims, head coach of the Evolve Fight Team, and the rest of my teammates such as Leandro Issa, Eddie Ng, Amir Khan, and an entire bunch of Muay Thai world champions.”
Instead of cutting 10-15 pounds in the days leading up to the fight Askren merely has to prove that his walking weight is 185 pounds or less and he thinks it is a big step in the right direction.
“I think that ONE has made an outstanding move adopting the new policies and I am very excited to see them be the leader in this category. Hopefully other MMA organizations will follow their lead soon because it is for the better of the fighters safety.”
There’s been some speculation that the disparity in size between Santos and Askren makes a rematch impossible. However both men are currently plying their trade in the same division and the champion feels has some unfinished business with the Brazilian.
“I would very much like to give him a good beating. I just don’t know if he will show up to the fight. This is a score that I would definitely like to settle in the future.”
Santos is coming off an impressive first round stoppage win so the rematch looks at least a possibility. Before that can happen Askren has business to attend to in Manila on Friday night and after suffering frustration on his last trip to the Philippines he is determined to make a big impression second time around.
The last time Ben Askren headlined an event in Manila, things didn’t go according to plan. What looked set to be a close and competitive fight with Luis Santos came to an abrupt and premature end when the Brazilian was unable to continue after a first-round eye poke.
It was a major disappointment for the Filipino fans who were getting their first glimpse at arguably the world’s best welterweight. Askren has a chance to make some amends this Friday (April 15, 2016) when he defends his belt against Nikolay Aleksakhin in the exact same arena.
The American’s title bout against the Russian headlines ONE: “Global Rivals” and Askren is determined to show the Manila audience exactly what he is capable of.
“I am very excited to be fighting in Manila again. The fans in Manila have always been truly amazing and there’s a real fight culture there I do enjoy fighting there and I feel like I owe the fans a good show after what happened the last time.”
Much has been made of how this fight will pit the Combat Sambo of the Russian against the wrestling of the U.S. Olympian and two time NCAA Division-1 champion but the American doesn’t expect Aleksakhin to pose him many problems.
“I think that he is physically strong and tough, but I think his style is limited in what he can do and he is not very dynamic. I think his style will play right into my game plan.”
The “no contest” against Santos was followed by an aborted rematch with the Brazilian. It means he hasn’t completed a fight since 2014 and will be looking to make up for lost time this year.
“I better get moving then! I looking to retain my title and I am coming for that ‘W’.”
The Santos non-finish is the closest thing to a blemish on Askren’s record which currently reads 14-0-0-1. No elite level mixed martial artist has ever retired undefeated but it’s an accomplishment that looks to be well within the grasp of the former Bellator champion.
Wrestlers do seem to enjoy longevity in MMA with both Randy Couture and Dan Henderson enjoying success well into their 40s. Askren is currently 31 which means his competitive career could conceivably last for at least another decade but he says he will be hanging up his gloves a lot sooner than that.
“No chance of that (fighting into his 40s) happening for me. When I eventually retire from the sport I would definitely run my wrestling academies. It is very important to me personally because I love passing on my wrestling knowledge to the next generation of wrestlers so that they can have some of the successes that I did.”
With his successful chain of wrestling academies Askren has strong roots in the U.S. but he has been spending an increasing amount of time in Asia recently. He always does the final stage of his training camp at Evolve MMA in Singapore and says he will be well prepared for Aleksakhin.
“Well I spent the first part of my camp back in Milwaukee with Roufusport. I am currently finishing my fight camp with Evolve MMA here in Singapore with Heath Sims, head coach of the Evolve Fight Team, and the rest of my teammates such as Leandro Issa, Eddie Ng, Amir Khan, and an entire bunch of Muay Thai world champions.”
Instead of cutting 10-15 pounds in the days leading up to the fight Askren merely has to prove that his walking weight is 185 pounds or less and he thinks it is a big step in the right direction.
“I think that ONE has made an outstanding move adopting the new policies and I am very excited to see them be the leader in this category. Hopefully other MMA organizations will follow their lead soon because it is for the better of the fighters safety.”
There’s been some speculation that the disparity in size between Santos and Askren makes a rematch impossible. However both men are currently plying their trade in the same division and the champion feels has some unfinished business with the Brazilian.
“I would very much like to give him a good beating. I just don’t know if he will show up to the fight. This is a score that I would definitely like to settle in the future.”
Santos is coming off an impressive first round stoppage win so the rematch looks at least a possibility. Before that can happen Askren has business to attend to in Manila on Friday night and after suffering frustration on his last trip to the Philippines he is determined to make a big impression second time around.
