Ben Askren’s run with the UFC didn’t quite go according to plan, but he holds no regrets nonetheless.
Askren, a former ONE Championship and Bellator welterweight champion, joined the UFC earlier this year after the first-ever trade in mixed martial arts (MMA) history. ONE sent over Askren in return for former flyweight king Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson. Askren made his UFC debut with a controversial submission win over Robbie Lawler. He then faced Jorge Masvidal at UFC 239, suffering the fastest knockout in UFC history at five seconds due to a flying knee.
Askren attempted to bounce back against Demian Maia in Singapore, only to be submitted by the jiu-jitsu ace via rear-naked choke. Shortly after the defeat, Askren officially announced his retirement from MMA. Aside from his rough go of things inside the Octagon as of late, Askren points to the need for a major hip surgery as another key reason he’s hanging his gloves up for good. Many believe Askren would’ve seen more success in the UFC had he gotten his shot in the promotion when he was a bit younger. But, speaking to MMA Fighting, Askren refuses to play the “what if” game in regards to his UFC run.
“I’m not playing the what if game any time. I hate the what if game,” Askren said. “You sound like a dick whenever you play that. I was a champion for two major organizations. I beat a lot of really good guys. That’s probably where I would leave it.”
After his announcement, there seemed to be some confusion as to what exactly Askren needed to be done on his hip. Many believed Askren was referring to a full-on hip replacement, but as “Funky” clarifies, that’s not exactly the case.
“Just to be specific, it’s a hip resurfacing, not a full, total hip replacement,” Askren said. “The surgery’s called the Birmingham Hip, that’s the surgery that I’m doing. So I might actually try to put it off for a few more months if I can because it would be a little better timing for my life for it to get done.
“Because once you do it, I’ve got to not be doing anything, off the mats totally. With me coaching wrestling, that could create some problems. So we’ll see. I’m working on scheduling it right now.”
Although he didn’t get to hoist UFC gold above his head, Askren has won gold in two different major MMA promotions, and went undefeated for a meaningful stretch. With all that being said, Askren has no regrets about how his MMA career played out.
“I don’t have any regrets,” Askren said. “I had a fun career. I had a really good career and I don’t have any regrets.”
What do you think about Askren refusing to have any regrets about his UFC career?
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