Benjamin Michael Askren is an American retired professional mixed martial artist and amateur wrestler. Askren was the former Bellator and ONE Welterweight Champion before competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was a US Olympic Team Member and Pan American Champion in freestyle wrestling. His younger brother Max also wrestled for Missouri and won a national championship in 2010.
About Ben Askren in brief
Benjamin Michael Askren is an American retired professional mixed martial artist and amateur wrestler. Askren was the former Bellator and ONE Welterweight Champion before competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was a US Olympic Team Member and Pan American Champion in freestyle wrestling. He is the second wrestler to secure multiple Dan Hodge Trophies in folkstyle wrestling. In the summer of 2008, Askren defeated national runner-up Tyrone Lewis in two consecutive matches by decision at the US Olympic Trials in Las Vegas, becoming the second University of Missouri wrestler to qualify for the Olympics. He competed in the 74 kg weight class at the 2008 Summer Olympics winning his first match via pin against Hungarian Istán Verán Verástébéván. In his last match, he lost to Cuba’s Ivan Fundora Fundora in the quarterfinal round in Saitievar, Russia’s Buva Buva Saitisar, 0–4. His younger brother Max also wrestled for Missouri and won a national championship in 2010. In college, he wrestled in the 174 lb. weight class. He finished his collegiate career with a record of 153–8, with 91 of those victories coming by way of fall. He also won the Outstanding Wrestler award at the NCAA Championships as well as theDan Hodge Trophy and the Rev Wrestler of the Year. In January 2012 it was announced that Askren would be one of six new inductees to the University ofMissouri Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame.
He won the 174 pound weight class easily at both the Big 12 and NCAA Championships. In 2005–06, he won his second consecutive NCAA Championship at 174 pounds by defeating another future NCAA champion, second-ranked Keith Gavin of Pittsburgh, 8–2. In 2007, he also became only the second person to win the Dan H Dodge Trophy twice, as W. I. N. Magazine named the 2007 winner. In 2008, he was also a four-time All-American, including being only the twelfth Division I wrestler ever to be aFour-time finalist. In 2009, he became the first wrestler to win a gold medal at the Pan American Games in the freestyle wrestling class. In 2010, he competed in a silver medal match against Sammie Henson, who also attended Missouri but finished his college career at Clemson. In 2011, he went on to compete in the welterweight division of the UFC. He has a son, Max Askren, who is also a professional wrestler and a two-time state champion in wrestling at Arrowhead High School in Hartland, Wisconsin. The Askren family has two children, Max and Sammie Askren Jr., who also competed in 2000, and Max Asken, who won a silver medals at the 2000 Summer Olympics in the 74 kg weight class.
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