Ben Askren Biography: Benjamin Michael Askren born July 18, 1984 is a retired American professional mixed martial artist, boxer, and Olympic wrestler.
Ben Askren Biography
Born July 18, 1984, in Phoenix, Ben Askren never looked like a highlight machine—and that was kind of the point. With a BJJ black belt, an iron will, and a style that felt awkward until it trapped you in quicksand, he proved that winning isn’t about looking cool, it’s about being right. The guy showed up on outlets like WI MMA Today and MMA Uncensored Live back in 2012, then hit UFC on ESPN in 2019, all while quietly ruling the welterweight divisions in Bellator and ONE.
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| Born | Benjamin Michael Askren July 18, 1984 Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Funky |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb) |
| Division | Cruiserweight (boxing) Middleweight / Welterweight (MMA) |
| Reach | 72 in (183 cm) |
| Style | Wrestling |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Fighting out of | Hartland, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Team | Roufusport (2009–present) Evolve MMA (2014–2017) |
| Rank | Brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
| Wrestling | NCAA Division I Wrestling Olympic Freestyle Wrestling |
| Years active | 2005–2010, 2013–2015, 2019 (freestyle wrestling) 2009–2017, 2019 (MMA) 2021 (boxing) |
| Category | WWE News |
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Ben Askren Achievements
Before MMA ever became a thought, Askren was already wrecking plans on the wrestling mat—the kind of pressure-heavy menace nobody wanted to draw. He carried the U.S. flag at the 2008 Olympics, picked up Pan Am gold in 2005, and quietly built a killer résumé while treating Missouri’s wrestling room at 174 pounds like a science project. Two NCAA Division I championships, four finals runs, three Big 12 titles—no shine, no theatrics, just awkward leverage, nonstop grind, and a mind obsessed with control, the same formula he’d later haul into the cage and make everyone else suffer through.
The raised interest in the sport was also heavily influenced by the club’s coach, a friend of Ben’s family named Dale Borchard who became a mentor to the young athlete. Dale traveled with Askren around the state for competitions alongside Borchard’s son, also a wrestler. Ben’s love for the sport led his father, Chuck Askren, to spend $5,000 on a wrestling workout facility built in the family’s home basement. The room paid dividends when Askren reached high school and dominated his weight class at a state level.
Ben Askren Career
Ben Askren is a folkstyle and freestyle wrestler who represented Team USA at the Beijing Summer Olympics (2008), after an incredible collegiate career in which he conquered two NCAA titles for the Missouri Tigers (2006, 2007) and two runner-up placements (2004, 2005), later being inducted to the University of Missouri Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame (2012). When on the mats, Askren was well known for his unique style of grappling, a style labeled “funky” by the specialist media, one which Ben explained in detail in his Wrestling Fanatics instructional – “Ultimate Askren Wrestling by Ben Askren”. After retiring his singlet, Askren turned to mixed martial arts (MMA) where he held titles in two major fighting promotions, namely Bellator and ONE Fighting Championship.
Ben Askren Parents and More
When Ben moved to Columbia, Missouri in 2002, Chuck followed the same system, building a workout room in their new house. A style heavily reliant on pins and scrambles. This approach allied with his personality made of Askren one of the most popular faces in folkstyle wrestling, a level of attention he backed up on the mats by placing himself among the most successful athletes in collegiate history, setting several records for the Tigers and finishing his career there with 91 pins and an 87 match winning streak. Like many other high-level folkstyle athletes before him, Askren transitioned to freestyle after college, winning a spot on Team USA for the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008.
After this experience at the senior level, Ben started focussing on MMA and unsurprisingly had fantastic success there as well. Askren made his cage-fighting debut in 2009 and went undefeated for 10 years competing in the top MMA promotions of his time, namely Bellator, One FC, and the UFC, reaching welterweight champion status in two out of the three brands, finally retiring from the sport by the end of 2019, with a record of 19-2-1.
Ben Askren Wiki
- Born: 18 July 1984 (age 40 years), Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States
- Spouse: Amy Askren (m. 2010)
- Weight: 77 kg
- Height: 1.78 m
- Career end: 18 November 2019
- Martial arts: Wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Freestyle wrestling
- Parents: Chuck Askren, Michele Askren
Wrestling Career
Askren got pulled into wrestling at six thanks to his dad, Chuck, but didn’t really fall down the rabbit hole until middle school, when a wrestling club flipped the switch. By the time he hit Arrowhead High in Wisconsin, he was already stacking hardware—two WIAA state titles and national finishes across folkstyle, freestyle, and Greco, because apparently one style wasn’t enough. College only cranked it up: at Missouri, he shared mats with future stars like Tyron Woodley and Michael Chandler, turned his freshman year into a statement by winning the Big 12, and ran headfirst into Oklahoma State’s Chris Pendleton at the NCAAs—finishing second not once, but twice—early proof that setbacks didn’t slow him down, they just sharpened the obsession.
Ben Askren Facts
Where does Ben Askren live? And how much money does Ben Askren earn?
| Birth Date | 18-7-1984 |
| Heritage/origin | American |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Religion – believes in God? | Non-religious |
| Residence | He owns a house in United States. |
Ben Askren Net Worth 2026 & Houses
Ben Askren is an American retired professional mixed martial artist. He has won multiple champions including ONE Welterweight Champion and Bellator Welterweight Champion.
| Estimated Net Worth | around $500,000 |
| Yearly Salary | N/A |
| Colleagues | Jorge Masvidal, Colby Covington & Kamaru Usman |
Cars
Ben Askren owns a white Lamborghini with Dynasty of Heroes written over the hood of the car as a gift.
- – manufactured by Lamborghini
- – manufactured by Rolls-Royce
Ben Askren: Wife, Dating, Family & Friends
Askren is married to Amy Askrenand since 2010. The couple is blessed with 3 children.
| Relationship status | Married (Since 2010) |
| Sexuality | Straight |
| Current Wife of Ben Askren | Amy Askren |
| Ex-girlfriends or ex-wives | |
| Has any kids? | Yes, father of: |
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Family
Names of father, mother, kids, brothers & sisters:
- Chuck Askren (Father)
- Michele Askren (Mother)
- Max Askren (Brother)
Height, Weight, Body Measurements, Tattoos, Skin, Hair & Eye Color
This talented athlete originating from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States has a athletic body & square face type.
| Hair color | Light brown |
| Hairstyle | flirty |
| Beard or Mustache | Beard |
| Eye Color | Green |
| Height | 178 cm |
| Weight | 77 kilo |
| Feet size | N/A |
| Does Ben Askren smoke? | No, never |
| Does Ben Askren have a tattoo? | No |
