Ben Askren: A debut
with many implications
by rick olivares
Bellator’s loss is ONE FC’s gain.
When Ben Askren meets Bakhtiyar Abbasov in the middle
of the ONE FC cage during Honor and Glory on Friday night, the match will be
one that will not only be watched across Southeast Asia and other parts but
also in North America.
Askren, the former US Olympian and All-American
seemed to be on the move from Bellator to the UFC when for some still
unexplained reason the latter pulled out of negotiations thus paving the way to
ONE FC.
Askren’s two-year contract signing as well as the
recent announcement that former UFC champion Rich Franklin has taken residence
in ONE FC have put the young MMA outfit on the top of search engines. No doubt,
a lot of people will be watching – from Asia to the UFC and Bellator to even
the American sports sites such as ESPN and Sports Illustrated.
However, Askren debunks any thought that he settled
for whoever was left in the sweepstakes that left him hanging. “ONE FC is a
growing organization they are already the biggest one in Asia by far and when
it came down to it, they gave me the best offer and I saw the option to be a
part of a great team so I took it,” he succinctly says. “It’s a win-win
situation for me and for ONE FC.”
First though, he’ll have to defeat Azerbaijan’s
Abbasov who sports an 11-2 record. The 28-year old fighter from the former
Soviet state is riding a nine-match win streak. He forced five of his foes to
submit and knocked out the other five. Whether the competition is lame or not
the fact is Abbasov has serious knockout power.
Askren no doubt will have checked on his foe but he
insists that following his game plan and not worrying about his unblemished
record will win the day. “The most successful way to enter on a competition is
to focus on the task at hand so you can win it,” said the curly-haired 29-year
old out of Wisconsin. “You essentially go in like it’s zero-zero. The twelve
wins don’t matter because they will not guarantee a win. I have to go out tomorrow
and execute my game plan.”
The game plan thus far has taken him from the US NCAA
to Beijing to Bellator and now, Asia. Not bad for a former wrestler. “MMA was
something I wanted to give a try but I thought I needed to concentrate on
college and the Olympics first. When that part of my life was over, I looked at
it as my chance to try it. I said, I’d try it for a year and if I didn’t like
it I’d go on to do something else. I’ve had success obviously so I’ve never
stopped since.”
The immaculate record thus far has been helped by
that strong wrestling base. “I believe that wrestling is the number one
foundation for a successful MMA career,” emphasized Askren. “It has been proven
over and over. Six of the eight champions in the UFC have a strong wrestling
base. It’s not like they wrestle or learn wrestling for a year. It’s something
they do for years on end. Wrestling is big in America and Europe so that helps.
Coupled with his knowledge of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu –
the results have been explosive.
“It gives me a huge advantage,” noted Askren. “I’ve
put together pieces from wrestling and jiu jitsu on my own and that has helped
me get to where I am at.”
“Now,” summed up Askren. “I’m at zero-zero. I have to
go out on Friday night… and bring it.”
That’s not so bad because everyone will be watching.
Bellator and UFC included.
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