Tag: Ben Askren

Ben Askren: Henry Cejudo Makes ‘Very Great Argument’ For Greatest Combat Athlete

UFC welterweight contender Ben Askren thinks two-weight champion Henry Cejudo has a solid case for being the greatest combat sports athlete of all time. Already the flyweight champion following wins over Demetrious Johnson and TJ Dillashaw, Cejudo added the bantamweight title to his collection at UFC 238 earlier this month with his TKO win over […]

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UFC welterweight contender Ben Askren thinks two-weight champion Henry Cejudo has a solid case for being the greatest combat sports athlete of all time.

Already the flyweight champion following wins over Demetrious Johnson and TJ Dillashaw, Cejudo added the bantamweight title to his collection at UFC 238 earlier this month with his TKO win over Marlon Moraes. Given that he also has an Olympic gold medal in wrestling, Cejudo declared afterward that he was the greatest combat sports athlete of all time.

Many seem to be in agreement, while UFC president Dana White believes “The Messenger” has a bit more work to do if he wants to be regarded as the pound-for-pound best. However, Askren thinks Cejudo makes a very great argument for it:

“I think he makes a very great argument for it, absolutely,” Askren told MMA Fighting at UFC 239 media day. “Of all the combat sports, an Olympic gold medal in wrestling, I would say it’s the toughest to achieve. In boxing, Paulie Malignaggi hasn’t been a fighter for a while, but that being said, he was a world champion. And Artem Lobov…he’s very average in everything. So for him to be able to go and beat Paulie Malignaggi…

“I have seen old wrestlers who weren’t even world champion level go against young MMA guys and it’s just not competitive. So it honestly makes me think are boxers really that good at boxing or is there just a really, really, really small set of people who do it. No matter how big the pool is, somebody’s got to be the best. Maybe that’s what it is. Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder — they didn’t start boxing until almost 20 years old. That doesn’t happen in wrestling. If someone starts when they’re 13 and they have high levels of success, it’s very abnormal. Let alone 20. I don’t think that’s ever happened.”

Cejudo Or Cormier?

Another fighter and Olympian who can stake a claim for being the pound-for-pound best is Daniel Cormier. “DC” will defend his heavyweight title against former champion Stipe Miocic next in the main event of UFC 241 on August 27.

Another win over Miocic, regarded as the greatest heavyweight champion of all time, would certainly boost Cormier’s credentials further. However, like Askren, he does not have a gold medal which gives Cejudo a better case.

“I mean, he’s up there obviously,” Askren added when asked about Cormier. “I think Daniel would say the Olympic gold medal of all the combat things is probably the hardest to do. I think Daniel would admit that. Henry has that, Daniel and I do not. So I think that gives Henry a lot of room to talk.”

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Ben Askren Fires Back At Jorge Masvidal’s Stern Warning

It didn’t take long for the always entertaining Ben Askren to fire back at Jorge Masvidal through the power of social media. It all started when Masvidal issued a stern warning to the former ONE and Bellator champion about not getting into his personal space when they do media to promote their upcoming showdown. It […]

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It didn’t take long for the always entertaining Ben Askren to fire back at Jorge Masvidal through the power of social media.

It all started when Masvidal issued a stern warning to the former ONE and Bellator champion about not getting into his personal space when they do media to promote their upcoming showdown.

It didn’t take long for Askren to respond. In a recent post on his official Twitter account, Askren made it known that he says he plans to “take care of” him inside of the Octagon:

“Don’t worry 15 minutes on July 6 will be more than enough time for me to take care of him,” Askren wrote.

The issue is connected to when Masvidal was involved in a backstage fight with Leon Edwards, giving him an infamous “three-piece with a soda,” following the UFC London event.

Askren scored a controversial submission win over former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler at the UFC 235 pay-per-view (PPV) event which marked his promotional debut. 

The two welterweight stars are slated to meet at the upcoming UFC 239 PPV on Saturday, July 6, 2019, from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. This event is slated to be headlined by a light heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Thiago Santos.

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Jorge Masvidal Likens Ben Askren to a Needy Girlfriend

Jorge Masvidal is not one for drawn-out back-and-forth exchanges, particularly with another grown man. At UFC 239, Jorge Masvidal will fight Ben Askren in a pivotal welterweight bout with possible title shot implications, and as we approach the two-wee…

Jorge Masvidal is not one for drawn-out back-and-forth exchanges, particularly with another grown man. At UFC 239, Jorge Masvidal will fight Ben Askren in a pivotal welterweight bout with possible title shot implications, and as we approach the two-week mark for the battle, Masvidal is antsy to get his hands on Askren and shut him […]

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Ben Askren Goes After ‘Bully’ Jon Jones

UFC welterweight competitor Ben Askren has not been shy about talking trash to anybody – regardless of weight class or opponent. Now, “Funky” is taking aim at UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Jones took to Twitter to post a statement about bullying and parents of bullies needing to step their game up: “If your […]

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UFC welterweight competitor Ben Askren has not been shy about talking trash to anybody – regardless of weight class or opponent.

Now, “Funky” is taking aim at UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Jones took to Twitter to post a statement about bullying and parents of bullies needing to step their game up:

“If your kid is a bully at school, you suck and you definitely need to step your game up as a parent.”

Askren took the opportunity to respond and take a shot at “Bones,” who he himself dubbed as a bully:

“Lol Jon you’re still a bully.”

Jones and Askren won’t be fighting each other anytime soon. Both men are separated by two weight classes. The former Bellator and ONE champion will be taking on Jorge Masvidal at UFC 239 next month from Las Vegas. Should he win, Askren could very well be looking at a title opportunity in his next fight.

However, also competing on the UFC 239 card will be Jones, who defends his 205-pound title in the main event. “Bones” takes on heavy-handed Brazilian knockout artist Thiago Santos. Jones looks to continue his dominance of the light heavyweight division that he has upheld for the past several years.

Once promotion for UFC 239 begins to heat up, including a likely press conference, it will be interesting to see if Jones and Askren interact with each other.

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Dillon Danis Strongly Believes He’s Going To Fight Ben Askren In UFC & Bellator Cross-Promotional Fight

There has been a lot of talk about cross-promotional fights in mixed martial arts (MMA). Some organizations actually have working relationships with one another, such as Bellator and RIZIN. However, most fight fans would love to see some UFC and Bellator fighters go at it. Unfortunately, the UFC doesn’t seem open to such a partnership. […]

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There has been a lot of talk about cross-promotional fights in mixed martial arts (MMA).

Some organizations actually have working relationships with one another, such as Bellator and RIZIN. However, most fight fans would love to see some UFC and Bellator fighters go at it. Unfortunately, the UFC doesn’t seem open to such a partnership. But one man who believes such a possibility isn’t too far off is Dillon Danis.

The Bellator star comes off a successful first-round submission win at Bellator 222 this past weekend. Danis spoke on “The Ariel Helwani MMA Show” yesterday (Mon. June 17, 2019) and noted he believes a cross-promotion fight between himself and UFC welterweight Ben Askren is going to happen:

“You know what’s crazy,” Danis asked. “I really feel like this cross-promotion thing is getting closer and closer. And, I really think that it’s gonna happen. I really think that me and Ben Askren are going to fight. I really do think so, I think it’s gonna happen. Like, for some reason – I was talking to Coker and we were talking about cross-promotion, he’s open to do it with the UFC. I really think if Ben Askren wants to do it, it’s gonna happen. So I think it’s on, yeah.”

Askren and Danis have had their fair share of issues with one another over the past several months. In fact, “Funky” trolled Danis online for his photo with two Bellator titles during Bellator 222 media day. Danis claimed he has signed up and offered to face Askren in grappling and wrestling matches. But Askren has shown no interest in doing any:

“I signed that wrestling match with him,” Danis said. “I was gonna do the wrestling match with him. He didn’t want to do it, I offered a grappling match with him, he didn’t want to do it. He knows what’s up, he was probably sh*tting himself watching my fight.”

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Ben Askren Explains How He Could Get Title Shot Before Colby Covington

Ben Askren believes that he could turn out to be the next fighter to challenge for the UFC welterweight title. Askren has already picked up a win over former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler in his promotional debut. Now, he’s slated to fight Jorge Masvidal at UFC 239. If he should get past Masvidal in his […]

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Ben Askren believes that he could turn out to be the next fighter to challenge for the UFC welterweight title.

Askren has already picked up a win over former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler in his promotional debut. Now, he’s slated to fight Jorge Masvidal at UFC 239. If he should get past Masvidal in his next fight then he thinks he has a shot at a title fight.

“Funky” believes that if he should have another strong showing his next fight then he could, in theory, leapfrog former interim UFC welterweight champion Colby Covington as the number one contender in the welterweight division:

“I think it is [possible],” Askren told MMA Fighting. “I don’t think people are too into Colby’s schtick anymore. They realize it’s old, it’s washed up, it’s just not that exciting. The guy is doing one of these things where you sit out and wait for a title fight and that is something I will never, ever do.

“How long ago was Colby’s last fight? Last June? What is this mother—ker going to sit out for 16 months and expect to get a title shot? The only way to stay relevant in this sport is to stay in there and keep getting after it. So yeah, if I go beat up Jorge, I’m going to have a lot more momentum. And if “Marty” (Kamaru Usman) wants to make some money, I’m sure “Marty” has a pay-per-view clause in his contract, you’re damn sure that I’m going to sell a whole bunch more pay-per-views against him than Colby would.”

UFC President Dana White has already agreed that Covington would get the next shot at welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. It should be noted that White and Covington haven’t always seen eye-to-eye.

Usman underwent double hernia surgery following his latest win in March. Now, he’s not expected to return until the latter part of the year. Thus, nothing is guaranteed in the sport of MMA.

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