Ben Askren: Funky — Fighter Profile, Career & Legacy
- Dana Black
- May 9
- 10 min read
Introduction
Ben "Funky" Askren is a former Bellator Welterweight Champion (2010-2013, four successful title defenses), former ONE Welterweight Champion (2014-2017, six successful title defenses), and 2008 Olympic freestyle wrestler for the USA — widely considered one of the most accomplished pure-wrestler MMA champions of the 2010s. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa native — two-time NCAA Division I National Wrestling Champion at Missouri (2006, 2007) and Hodge Trophy winner — finished his MMA career with a 19-2 (1 NC) record across Bellator, ONE Championship, and the UFC. His mid-2025 double lung transplant recovery from severe pneumonia (during which his heart stopped four times) added a new chapter of resilience to his post-MMA legacy.
Contents
Quick Stats
Nickname: Funky
Age: 41 (born July 18, 1984)
Height: 5'10" (178 cm)
Reach: 73" (185 cm)
Weight Class: Welterweight (170 lb)
Stance: Orthodox
Team: Roufusport / Hard Drive Nutrition
Pro MMA Record: 19 wins, 2 losses, 1 NC (retired October 2019); 0-1 in pro boxing
Background
Born July 18, 1984 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Askren grew up in Wisconsin and attended Arrowhead High School in Hartland, Wisconsin where he became a four-time state wrestling champion. He attended the University of Missouri on a wrestling scholarship and competed at the NCAA Division I level — winning back-to-back NCAA Division I National Wrestling Championships in 2006 and 2007 and earning the Hodge Trophy (the most prestigious individual award in NCAA D1 wrestling) both years. He represented the USA at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in freestyle wrestling, competing in the 74 kg division.
He turned professional in MMA in February 2009 after the Beijing Olympics — signing with Bellator MMA and winning the inaugural Bellator Welterweight Championship in October 2010 in his fourth Bellator fight. He competed in Bellator (2009-2013), ONE Championship (2014-2017), and the UFC (January-October 2019) across his 11-year MMA career and finished with a 19-2 (1 NC) MMA record. He has remained based in Wisconsin and operates Hard Drive Nutrition — a sports nutrition supplement company. He is married to Amy Askren and has three children.
Fighting Style
Wrestling-driven control-position grappling with championship-level pace and durability. Askren's pattern is textbook Olympic-and-NCAA-D1 wrestling-foundation MMA — top-position control combined with submission grappling and a uniquely cardio-heavy game plan. The 2008 Beijing Olympics appearance and the back-to-back 2006-2007 NCAA D1 wrestling championships at Missouri are the technical foundation; the Bellator (4 defenses) and ONE Welterweight (6 defenses) Championship reigns are the championship-era results.
His weakness — exposed in his three UFC fights — was striking durability against the modern post-2018 UFC welterweight wrestler-striker standard. The Jorge Masvidal UFC 239 5-second flying-knee KO loss in July 2019 (UFC's all-time fastest KO record) and the Demian Maia UFC Fight Night 162 third-round rear-naked-choke submission loss in October 2019 reflected variations of the same pattern. Within his Bellator and ONE championship-era prime years from 2009 to 2017, however, his arsenal was the technical floor of pre-UFC welterweight competition — undefeated 9-0 Bellator career record and undefeated 8-0 (1 NC) ONE Championship career record.
Career Highlights
April 2009 — MMA professional debut at Headhunter Productions vs Josh Flowers. Won by R1 TKO.
October 2010 — Bellator Welterweight Champion. Won the inaugural title at Bellator 33 vs Lyman Good by unanimous decision.
April 2011 — Bellator 47 vs Dan Hornbuckle. Title defense via R1 KO.
June 2011 — Bellator 51 vs Nick Thompson. Title defense via R1 TKO.
October 2012 — Bellator 75 vs Karl Amoussou. Title defense via unanimous decision.
April 2013 — Bellator 95 vs Andrey Koreshkov. Title defense via TKO; final Bellator fight.
May 2014 — ONE Welterweight Champion. Won the title at ONE FC: Honor & Glory vs Nobutatsu Suzuki.
August 2014 — ONE FC: Reign of Champions vs Bakhtiyar Abbasov. Title defense via R3 TKO.
December 2014 — ONE FC: Warrior's Way vs Luis Santos. No Contest after eye poke; rematch followed.
October 2017 — ONE Championship: Immortal Pursuit vs Shinya Aoki. Title defense via R1 TKO; final ONE Championship fight before vacation.
January 2019 — UFC debut at UFC 235 vs Robbie Lawler. Won via R1 controversial bulldog choke submission.
July 2019 — UFC 239 vs Jorge Masvidal. Lost via R1 5-second flying-knee KO (UFC's all-time fastest KO record).
October 2019 — UFC Fight Night 162 vs Demian Maia. Lost via R3 rear-naked-choke submission; final career fight.
April 2021 — Boxing debut vs Jake Paul. Lost via R1 TKO at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta.
Late May 2025 — Hospitalized with severe pneumonia and staph infection.
June 24, 2025 — Placed on lung transplant donor list.
Late June 2025 — Successful double lung transplant in Wisconsin.
July 2025 — Discharged from hospital; ongoing recovery at home.
Notable Fights & Rivalries
vs Robbie Lawler (UFC 235, 2019)
Askren's UFC debut and most-controversial career win. He defeated Lawler — then a former UFC Welterweight Champion and 2025 UFC Hall of Fame Modern Wing inductee — by R1 controversial bulldog choke submission at UFC 235 in March 2019. The fight was widely considered to be early-stopped by referee Herb Dean (Lawler had been waving his arm before the stoppage) and the result is one of the most-disputed UFC welterweight finishes of the late 2010s. Lawler retired from MMA in July 2023 and was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame Modern Wing in 2025.
vs Jorge Masvidal (UFC 239, 2019)
The most-replayed flying-knee KO in UFC history. Masvidal stopped Askren by 5-second flying-knee KO at UFC 239 in July 2019 — UFC's all-time fastest KO record (still standing as of 2026). The result transformed Masvidal into an instant global MMA superstar and effectively closed Askren's UFC welterweight title contender chapter. The 5-second flying-knee KO is one of the most-circulated visual moments in UFC history.
vs Demian Maia (UFC Fight Night 162, 2019)
Askren's career-ending fight. Maia submitted Askren by R3 rear-naked-choke at UFC Fight Night 162 in Singapore in October 2019. The result confirmed Askren's two consecutive UFC stoppage losses and effectively closed his MMA career; he announced his retirement from MMA shortly after the bout. Maia is widely considered one of the most accomplished BJJ-based UFC welterweight title contenders of the 2010s.
vs Shinya Aoki (ONE Championship: Immortal Pursuit, 2017)
Askren's most-watched ONE Championship career win. He stopped Aoki — then a former Bellator and DREAM Lightweight Champion and one of the most accomplished pre-2010 Asian MMA champions — by R1 TKO at ONE Championship: Immortal Pursuit in November 2017. The result was Askren's final ONE Championship fight before vacating the title and signing with the UFC; the ONE Welterweight Championship transitioned to a long-term Asian MMA legacy bout.
vs Jake Paul (April 2021, Boxing)
Askren's first and only professional boxing match. Paul stopped Askren by R1 TKO at 1:59 of round one in Atlanta on April 17, 2021 — Paul's third career professional boxing win. The fight was one of the most-watched YouTube boxing match crossover events of 2021 and effectively closed Askren's active competitive career; he retired from professional combat sports shortly after the bout.
Championships & Accolades
Bellator Welterweight Champion (2010-2013) — four successful title defenses; inaugural Bellator Welterweight Champion.
ONE Welterweight Champion (2014-2017) — six successful title defenses.
Two-time NCAA Division I National Wrestling Champion at the University of Missouri (2006, 2007).
Two-time Hodge Trophy winner (2006, 2007) — the most prestigious individual award in NCAA D1 wrestling.
Three-time NCAA Division I All-American.
2008 Beijing Olympics freestyle wrestling competitor for the USA (74 kg division).
Multiple-time Big 12 Conference wrestling champion at Missouri.
Career notable wins over UFC Hall of Famer Robbie Lawler (UFC 235), Shinya Aoki (ONE 2017), Lyman Good (Bellator 2010), and Karl Amoussou (Bellator 2012).
Founder of Hard Drive Nutrition sports supplement company.
Final pro MMA record: 19 wins, 2 losses, 1 no contest across 11-year career.
Owner of one of the most undefeated championship-era careers in pre-UFC welterweight history (17-0 across Bellator and ONE Championship combined).
Current Status
Recovering from June 2025 double lung transplant. Askren's MMA career-ending fight was the October 26, 2019 R3 rear-naked-choke submission loss to Demian Maia at UFC Fight Night 162 in Singapore. He fought Jake Paul in a professional boxing match in April 2021 (lost via R1 TKO) and has not competed since. In late May 2025 he was hospitalized with severe pneumonia tied to a staph infection — spending 45 days on a ventilator and ECMO machine in critical condition (his heart stopped four times during the ordeal) and losing approximately 50 pounds (down to 147 pounds, his lightest weight since high school).
He underwent a successful double lung transplant in late June 2025 at a Wisconsin hospital after being placed on the donor list on June 24, 2025. He was discharged from the hospital in late July 2025 and has been recovering at home with his wife Amy and three children since. His doctors have indicated that people in similar situations have gone on to run marathons, giving him significant hope for a full recovery. He continues to operate Hard Drive Nutrition and has expressed gratitude for the global outpouring of support from fans, fellow fighters (including Jake Paul, Jorge Masvidal, and many others), and the wider MMA community throughout his recovery.
Fun Facts
His nickname "Funky" reflects his unconventional NCAA wrestling style — tying up opponents in unusual scrambles and grappling sequences that defied traditional wrestling pattern recognition.
Won back-to-back NCAA Division I National Wrestling Championships at Missouri (2006, 2007) and the Hodge Trophy in both years — making him one of only a handful of NCAA D1 wrestlers to win both championships and the Hodge Trophy in consecutive years.
Represented the USA at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in freestyle wrestling at the 74 kg division — making him one of only a handful of MMA champions to compete at both the NCAA D1 championship level and the Olympic level in wrestling.
Was the inaugural Bellator Welterweight Champion (October 2010) and the ONE Welterweight Champion (May 2014) — making him one of only a handful of MMA fighters to hold both Bellator and ONE Championship titles in the same weight class.
Lost to Jorge Masvidal at UFC 239 in July 2019 by 5-second flying-knee KO — UFC's all-time fastest KO record (still standing as of 2026).
Survived a 45-day intensive care stay in mid-2025 — during which his heart stopped four times for approximately 20 seconds each time. He has no recollection of the period from May 28 to July 2, 2025 and learned about his recovery from reading his wife Amy's journal.
His double lung transplant cost over $2 million — raised by his wife Amy through a fundraising campaign after insurance refused to cover the procedure. The fundraising response was one of the most-supported MMA legend medical campaigns of the mid-2020s.
Was awake during recovery and mouthed the word "coffee" to his wife despite not being able to consume it — one of the many small moments documented during his transplant recovery.
Legacy / Verdict
Ben "Funky" Askren is one of the most accomplished pure-wrestler MMA champions of the 2010s and one of the rare pre-UFC welterweight champions to hold both Bellator and ONE Championship titles in the same weight class. The 2010-2013 Bellator Welterweight Championship reign with four successful defenses, the 2014-2017 ONE Welterweight Championship reign with six successful defenses, the 2006-2007 NCAA D1 wrestling championships and Hodge Trophy double, and the 2008 Beijing Olympics freestyle wrestling appearance together place him in the top fifteen welterweight contenders of the 2010s. The undefeated 17-0 combined record across Bellator and ONE Championship is the foundational competitive resume.
What complicates the legacy is the 1-2 UFC career — the controversial Robbie Lawler bulldog choke win at UFC 235, the 5-second Masvidal flying-knee KO loss at UFC 239 (UFC's all-time fastest KO record), and the Demian Maia rear-naked-choke submission loss at UFC Fight Night 162 closed his MMA career on the closing chapter. The April 2021 Jake Paul boxing loss and the dramatic mid-2025 double lung transplant recovery added new chapters of resilience to his post-MMA legacy. The competitive resume is permanent; the post-MMA chapter continues to develop alongside his ongoing recovery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ben Askren retired?
Yes. He retired from MMA after his October 2019 UFC Fight Night 162 third-round rear-naked-choke submission loss to Demian Maia in Singapore. His pro MMA record stands at 19-2 (1 NC) across his 11-year career from 2009 to 2019. He competed in one professional boxing match (April 2021 vs Jake Paul, lost via R1 TKO) since retirement and has not announced any plans to return to active competition.
What happened to Ben Askren in 2025?
He underwent a double lung transplant in late June 2025 after a severe pneumonia infection (linked to a staph infection) caused his lungs to fail. He spent 45 days on a ventilator and ECMO machine in critical condition, lost approximately 50 pounds (down to 147 pounds, his lightest weight since high school), and his heart stopped four times during the ordeal. He was placed on the lung transplant donor list on June 24, 2025 and underwent the successful double lung transplant on approximately June 30, 2025 at a Wisconsin hospital. He has been recovering at home since late July 2025 and is widely expected to make a full recovery.
What is Ben Askren's professional MMA record?
Nineteen wins, two losses, and one no contest across his 11-year career. He competed in Bellator MMA, ONE Championship, and the UFC across his career — going 9-0 in Bellator (2010-2013), 8-0 (1 NC) in ONE Championship (2014-2017), and 1-2 in his UFC tenure (January 2019 to October 2019).
Was Ben Askren a champion?
Yes. He was the Bellator Welterweight Champion (2010-2013, four successful title defenses) — making him one of the most foundational early Bellator champions in the promotion's history. He was also the ONE Welterweight Champion (2014-2017, six successful title defenses) — making him one of only a handful of fighters to hold both Bellator and ONE Championship titles in the same weight class. He vacated both titles upon transitioning to the next promotion.
Did Ben Askren wrestle at the Olympics?
Yes. He represented the USA at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in freestyle wrestling — competing in the 74 kg / 163 lb division. He was a two-time NCAA Division I National Wrestling Champion at the University of Missouri (2006, 2007), three-time NCAA Division I All-American, and Hodge Trophy winner (2006, 2007 — the most prestigious individual award in NCAA D1 wrestling). He is widely considered one of the most decorated NCAA wrestlers ever to transition to professional MMA.
What style does Ben Askren fight?
Wrestling-driven control-position grappling with championship-level pace and durability. Askren's pattern is textbook Olympic-and-NCAA-D1 wrestling-foundation MMA — top-position control combined with submission grappling and a uniquely cardio-heavy game plan. The 2008 Olympic appearance and the back-to-back NCAA D1 wrestling championships at Missouri are the technical foundation; the Bellator and ONE Welterweight Championship reigns and the 19-2 (1 NC) MMA record were the championship-era results. He is widely considered one of the most accomplished pure-wrestler MMA champions of the 2010s.
Did Ben Askren box Jake Paul?
Yes — and lost. He fought Jake Paul in a professional boxing match on April 17, 2021 in Atlanta and lost by first-round TKO at 1:59 of round one. The fight was Askren's first and only professional boxing match and was one of the most-watched YouTube boxing match crossover events of 2021. He retired from active competition shortly after.
Who is Ben Askren's wife?
Amy Askren — his wife, mother of their three children, and the most-credited supporter of his June 2025 lung transplant recovery. Amy maintained the family GoFundMe campaign that raised over $2 million for his medical costs (which insurance refused to cover) and provided real-time updates throughout the 45-day intensive care stay. The two have been married for over 20 years.
References
Comments