After providing to make a retirement comeback in opposition to former foe and nemesis, Jorge Masvidal in a possible return to the UFC, veteran wrestling ace Ben Askren has proven a formidable physique since retiring from lively competitors.
Askren, a former undisputed holder of Bellator MMA gold and the ONE championship on the welterweight restrict, retired from combined martial arts competitors in 2019, following hip surgical procedure following a submission loss in the primary occasion of UFC Kallang to fellow grappler, Demian Maia.
Starting his Octagon tenure in model, Askren, who rode a formidable 19-fight unbeaten run on his UFC debut in opposition to former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler – selecting up a controversial bulldog submission win at UFC 235.
Again in July of that 12 months in a extremely anticipated combat in opposition to the aforementioned Masvidal, Iowa native, Askren misplaced the quickest stoppage loss in UFC historical past – courtesy of a 5-second flying knee knockout loss to the Florida ahead.
Returning to fight sports activities in April 2021 in a profitable payday, Askren misplaced a first-round TKO loss to outspoken skilled boxer, Jake Paul in lower than two minutes.
Nevertheless, this Tuesday night time, Askren staged a shocking return to the UFC for a replay with retired colleague Masvidal – exhibiting a textual content he despatched to promotion chief Dana White – asking if the previous was severe a few rematch contained in the Octagon.
Ben Askren exhibits big body after retiring from MMA
And what’s extra, Askren, who retweeted a put up suggesting a rematch at a monumental UFC 300 occasion within the first quarter of subsequent 12 months, has proven a formidable construct in his time away from fight sports activities.
“I stayed in nice form throughout my retirement”, Ben Askren tweeted. “I’ve no need to combat anybody anticipating the loser Jorge (Masvidal).”
Throughout his adorned skilled profession, Ben Askren picked up notable wins over Lyman Good, Jay Hieron, Douglas Lima, Andrey Koreshkov, Shinya Aoki and Lawler.
