Facts
| Full Name | Benjamin Michael Askren |
| Birth Date | July 18, 1984 |
| Birth Place | Cedar Rapids, Iowa, US |
| Nickname | Funky |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Education | University of Missouri |
| Horoscope | Cancer |
| Father’s Name | Chuck Askren |
| Mother’s Name | Michele Askren |
| Siblings | Max Askren (brother) |
| Age | 37 years old |
| Height | 5 feet 10 inches (178 cm) |
| Weight | 77 kg (170 lbs) |
| Build | Athletic |
| Eye color | Blue |
| Hair Color | Dark Brown |
| Profession | Mixed Martial Art Fighter |
| Active years | 2009-2019 |
| Team | Roufusport, Evolve MMA |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Wife/ Spouse’s Name | Amy Askren |
| Children | Three |
| Net Worth | $10 million |
| Salary | $500,000 |
| Social Media | Facebook, Twitter, Instagram |
| Merch | Hoodie |
| Last Update | July, 2022 |
Ben Askren, who may be known by his nickname ‘Funky’ to many mixed martial arts fans and wrestling enthusiasts, is an American retired mixed martial artist.
The former Olympic wrestler and the former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter have also registered in the history book as ONE Welterweight Champion and Bellator Welterweight Champion.
However, being well familiar with his on-stage career and a fan of his fighting skills, you may not have insights into his personal life. What is Ben’s net worth in 2020? How did he start his career?
After all, these are some of the curiosities that his fan base may have. Accordingly, we have prepared all the answers to those and some other queries like his age, height, weight, and career achievements in this article. So, follow us until the end.
Ben Askren’s Childhood, Family, and Education
On July 18, 1984, Ben was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the state’s second-largest city. Chuck and Michele Askren gave birth to him. He also spent his childhood with his brother Max Askren.
Max, like him, is a professional wrestler who won a national championship in 2010. Ben, by the way, was born and raised a Christian.
In terms of schooling, Ben attended Arrowhead High School, where he completed his high school career.
Notably, he won the state wrestling championship twice at his high school. He then attended the University of Missouri.
He was also an assistant wrestling coach at Arizona State University at the time. During his college years, he won numerous honorable wrestling awards, which aided his professional career.
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Wrestling Career of Ben Askren
During his collegiate wrestling career, he competed in the 174-pound weight class. Notably, he was an amateur wrestler at his institution.
He won the National Collegiate Athletic Association Championship match in 2006 and 2007, after losing in the same competition the previous two years. And he still maintains the NCAA single-season pin record.
He also won gold medals in the 2006 and 2007 Big 12 Championships. Also, He went undefeated with a 42-0 record in the 2006-2007 season.
He also won the Big 12 Conference title in 2004, 2006, and 2007. During that time, he was well-known for his unconventional ‘funky’ wrestling style and pinning abilities.
He concluded his NCAA wrestling career with a 153-8 record and an astounding 87-match winning streak.
Specifically, Chris Pendleton of Oklahoma State and Ryan Lange of Purdue are the only two opponents Ben has defeated during his four years at Missouri.
2008 Olympic Games
Similarly, at the US Olympic Trials, he defeated national runner-up Tyrone Lewis to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics. And he won his maiden match in the 74 kg weight division.
However, he was forced to withdraw from the competition without a medal after losing to Cuba’s Ivan Fundora in the round of eight and Fundora’s loss in the quarterfinal. Ben stated after the game,
“I simply wasn’t good enough.” “I was a jerk.”
As a result, Ben’s wrestling career came to an end. He did, however, participate in wrestling on occasion.
Following that, he defeated Cuba’s Fundora in the semifinals of the Cerro Pelado International in 2010 to avenge his Olympic defeat.
He also competed in the Agon Wrestling Championships and the Flo Premier League.
MMA career of Ben Askren
Ben began fighter training at the American Top Team’s main academy in Florida after the Olympics. He made his professional MMA debut on February 7, 2009, in Columbia, defeating Josh Flowers.
Following that, he defeated Mitchell Harris in his second fight at Patriot Act 2 in Columbia. Then he competed in the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in Barcelona in 2009.
However, after defeating Toni Linden, Ben was eliminated from the competition by Pablo Popovitch in the second round. Later, at the 2009 FILA 2o World Grappling Championship, he won gold in the 84 kg division.
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Fighting Championship Bellator
Ben later competed in the Bellator Fighting Championships Season 2 Welterweight Tournament. Ben defeated Ryan Thomas at Bellator 14 and again at Bellator 19.
After defeating Dan Hornbuckle in all three rounds, he was proclaimed the competition’s champion at Bellator 22. He successfully defended his belt four times in a row at Bellator 40, 56, 64, and 86.
The overwhelming victory against Andrey Koreshkov at Bellator 97 was his final bout before his contract with the organisation expired in November 2013.
Championship of ONE
He signed a two-year contract with ONE Championship after his release. On May 30, Ben defeated Bakhtiyar Abbasov, who was then on a nine-fight winning streak, in the ONE Fighting Championship: Honor and Glory event.
On August 29, 2014, he was crowned the new ONE Welterweight Champion after defeating Nobutastsu Suzuki at ONE FC: Reign of Champions.
He won all six of his contract fights, with one deemed a “no contest.”
UFC
Another important detail is that Ben signed with the UFC on November 3, 2018, per the “exchange UFC and ONE Championship agreement.”
Notably, he won a controversial fight against former UFC Welterweight Champion Robbie Lawler at UFC 235 on his UFC debut.
“When someone decides to enter the UFC and doesn’t have a combat sports background, you kind of wonder, ‘Does he know what he’s getting into?”
Later in his career, he suffered two defeats: the fastest knockout in UFC history against Jorge Masvidal and the ‘Fight of the Night’ award-winning loss to Demian Maia. Finally, on November 18, 2019, he announced his retirement from MMA competition.
Ben Askren on Jake Paul
The bout card between social media sensation Jake Paul and Ben Askren took many by surprise in April 2021. Well, Paul capped off the triumph with a knockout less than two minutes into the fight.
Not to mention that it was dubbed one of Ben Askren’s most humiliating fights. According to Askren, he realized he had no chance against Paul if he displayed his fighting ability.
Paul, on the other hand, stated that Ben had underestimated him.
“He arrived unprepared. I stated that the day before at the weigh-ins. ‘You, my friend, are underestimating me,’ I said. And the manner in which he entered was quite unprofessional.” Jake Paul’s
Following their match, Jake Paul’s brother, Logan Paul, referred to Ben Askren as a “genius.”
Overall, Paul earned a large sum from this fight, which he claims makes him worth $65 million. According to his Instagram post, there were 1.3 million pay-per-views for the bout, and he earned six figures from it.
Achievements and Awards for Ben Askren
In his 2005-2006 collegiate season, Askren pinned in 25 of 45 matches, earning him the Schalles Award Top Collegiate Pinner of the Year in 2006 and 2007.
He won the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Championship in 2006 and 2007 and has been a four-time NCAA Division I All-American Finalist since 2004.
In 2006 and 2007, he received the Dan Hodge Trophy as Collegiate Wrestler of the Year. In 2012, the University of Missouri inducted him into the Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame.
Similarly, Askren won gold medals at the 2005 Pan American Championships Senior Freestyle, the Hargobind International Tournament Senior Freestyle in 2007, and the Hargobind International Tournament Senior Freestyle in 2009.
The 2007 NYAC Holiday International Open Senior Freestyle, the 2010 Dave Schultz Memorial International Open Senior Freestyle, and, most significantly, the FILA 2009 Grappling World Championships Senior No-Gi
In 2008, he won the USA Senior Freestyle National Championship, and in 2009, he won the FILA World Team Trials Senior No-Gi.
Ben also won the Bellator Season 2 Welterweight Championship. In addition, he holds the Bellator record for most consecutive years defending the belt (four).
He has also successfully defended his ONE Welterweight Championship title three times after gaining it in 2014.
Golf with a Disc
Aside from these activities, Ben is a competitive disc golfer. For example, he finished second in the 2011 United States Amateur Disc Golf Championship.
First place in the Mighty MO Advanced in 2009, and third place in the Alabama Amateur Open Intermediate in 2006 and the First Class Challenge in 2009.
In addition, he finished fourth in the 2009 PDGA Amateur World Doubles Championships Advanced.
Ben Askren’s Salary and Net Worth
Ben Askren’s net worth is estimated to be $10 million as of July 2021. He made the majority of his money as a professional MMA fighter.
Above all, it is reported in certain web sources that he received around $830,500 in unspecified bonuses during his UFC career, which is unquestionably more than the ordinary professional’s wealth in the sector.
For his UFC debut, he received $353,000. That was rather impressive!
Currently, Ben and his brother Max own the ‘Askren Wrestling Academy,’ which has locations in Hartland, Mequon, and Green Bay, Wisconsin.
He also co-hosts weekly wrestling podcasts, including ‘The Funky & FRB Show’ with Front Row Brian and ‘The T-Row & Funky Show’ with Tommy Rowlands, as well as the ‘RUDIS Wrestling Podcast’ and has endorsements with Dollamur Sport, My Bookie, and Reebok.
He is also sponsored by Discraft and is said to have invested in cryptocurrency.
To be clear, some reports claim that his current total annual pay is roughly $500,000. He also owns a Lamborghini and has previously owned Rolls Royce and other premium vehicles.
To summarize, he lives a happy and prosperous life. And he deserves it all after years of struggling on and off the stage.
Ben Askren’s Height and Age
Ben Askren, who was born in 1984, will be 36 years old in June 2021. His astrological sign is Cancer. He was born in America and is working here. He has an American passport.
Ben has been retired for a long time. As a result, he has retained his athletic physique.
He is 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs 77 kilograms (170 lbs). Finally, Ben is a handsome young man with dark brown hair and blue eyes.
Ben Askren’s Wife and Kids
Ben married Amy Askren in front of their friends and family on April 9, 2010. He has three children with her thus far, a boy and two daughters.
Furthermore, Ben is seen having fun on his vacations and holidays with his wife and children.
As a result, his marriage is said to be healthy, and Amy was quite supportive of his professional job. However, no precise information on his children has been discovered.
Ben Askren Discusses Social Media
Of course, Askren is active on several social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
As of September 2021, he has 349,000 Twitter followers, 626,000 Instagram followers, and 70,957 Facebook page fans. Furthermore, he is observed regularly adding posts and reading the comments.
Ben Askren: FAQs
What is Ben Askren’s boxing or MMA record? Who is his boxing coach?
Ben Askren features the MMA record of nineteen wins, two losses, and a single no contest. Among his wins, six of them are submission, six again by knockout and the remaining seven of them from the decision.
Likewise, his losses include a knockout and a submission.
Well, Ben’s boxing coach is Freddie Roach.
What did Ben Askren say to Kamaru Usman?
Well, Ben Askren simply called Kamaru Usman a ‘fake.’ As per Ben, he stated that Usman’s personality changed after he joined MMA. Also, he claimed that Usman is putting up an act, and people can see right through it.
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