MMA champion Askren goes out in style
If this was Ben Askren’s last fight in mixed martial arts, the Hartland native went out in style.
Askren, 33, stopped Japanese legend Shinya Aoki by way of first-round technical knockout Friday in Singapore to retain his One Championship welterweight title and remain unbeaten in his MMA career.
The fight lasted just 57 seconds. Askren, a two-time NCAA wrestling champion at Missouri and 2008 Olympian, improved his record to 18-0, with one no-contest.
He was an undefeated Bellator champion before signing with One, which describes itself as the largest global sports media property in Asia.
“I think this is it,” Askren said. “If I get the opportunity to prove I’m No. 1, then I’ll take the opportunity. I don’t need any more money. I just want to show the fans that I’m the best welterweight in the world.
“Other than that, I’m out.”
The only thing that would bring him out of retirement, Askren told the Journal Sentinel, would be a chance to fight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship title. The UFC is regarded as the world’s top mixed martial arts promoter.
That’s a long shot, however, because Askren and UFC president Dana White have never gotten along.
“I’ll say it on the record: Dana is a scumbag,” Askren said earlier this month. “It’s not a secret if you pay at- tention. He’s a scumbag. He’s a terrible person.”
Askren now plans to turn his attention to helping run the Askren Wrestling Academy, which has locations in Hartland, Mequon and Green Bay. He co-founded the AWA with his brother, Max, and former Arrowhead wrestling coach John Mesenbrink.
Aoki (39-8) is a black belt in judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu and is known for his grappling skills. But he was no match for Askren, who got in the mount position early and rained down a barrage of heavy punches that left the referee with no choice but to call a halt to the fight.
If Askren does walk away, he leaves behind a legacy of never losing an MMA fight in a seven-year professional career in which he seemingly got better every time he stepped into the cage.