Following directly on the heels of our announcement earlier this afternoon that 2x NCAA National Wrestling Champion and 2008 Olympic Wrestler Ben Askren was in talks to sign with Strikeforce in the coming weeks, Tapology now presents Steven Kelliher’s full interview with the undefeated prospect. In the interview, Askren discusses his storied wrestling background, his unorthodox wrestling style, and his drive to become the best in the world.
Tapology: There have been a lot of high-caliber wrestlers making the transition to MMA in the past few years. What is it about wrestling that makes it easy to translate to MMA?
Askren: Two things. One, they can decide whether to keep the fight standing or go to the ground and that’s a huge advantage to have in any fight. The stand up guys and the Jiu-Jitsu guys don’t have that advantage. Secondly, it’s just work ethic. Wrestlers have great work ethic compared with people of other backgrounds.
Tapology: Obviously you were disappointed with your performance in the 2008 Summer Olympics, but can you talk a bit about that experience?
Askren: My biggest dream from high school on was to make the U.S. Olympic team and I did that. I wanted to win a gold medal and I came up short. It was disappointing, but now I know what I did wrong, so next time I go I will be a more well rounded athlete.
Tapology: How did you get into training MMA originally?
Askren: I always enjoyed watching it on TV and while I was a wrestler I would sometimes take Jiu-Jitsu classes, so from there it just grew and I just enjoy it now. My interest grew more and more and more, and I decided it’s something I want to do full time.
Tapology: Do you still train with ATT at all or are you mainly with Arizona Combat Sports?
Askren: I live in Arizona, so I don’t train with them [ATT] at all—aside from the few weeks I was in Columbia, Missouri. I train mostly with Arizona Combat Sports and I train boxing at the Lion’s Den.
Tapology: ACS has some great fighters. How do you fare with some of them in training?
Askren: I haven’t been able to spar with them because I teach wrestling practice at the same time they usually spar. I’ve mostly been doing the Jiu-Jitsu in the morning and kickboxing at night. I’m going to start putting more time in and going to more sparring classes.
Tapology: Is the kickboxing the hardest thing for you to pick up, coming from wrestling?
Askren: Yeah, all stand-up is a lot harder than the ground game, which came real easily to me. I’m very comfortable on the ground now, against everyone except the very best in the world. Stand up is coming along though.
Tapology: You are currently 3-0 at the start of your career and you have finished all three opponents inside the first round. Is that something you obviously plan on continuing?
Askren: Yeah, of course. I pose a big problem for people who don’t have strong wrestling or strong Jiu-Jitsu. I’m a finisher. I’m not going to go out there and feel it out; I’m going to go out there to get the job done.
Tapology: You are considered to be something of an unorthodox wrestler. Do you think this is going to cause problems for guys that are just going to be preparing for a good wrestler?
Askren: It hurts me and it helps me. It hurts me because I don’t have the speed and power most wrestlers do, so takedowns out in the open come harder to me, whereas guys like Josh Koscheck and Georges St-Pierre are very good at that. But, at the same time, I think I’ve picked up Jiu-Jitsu a lot easier than most wrestlers because my game isn’t as rigid, it is more fluid.
Tapology: You just mentioned Georges St-Pierre. He is considered to be the best welterweight in the world right now. Why do you think he is so dominant?
Askren: He does everything well, and in mixed martial arts there are very few people who do everything well right now. Wrestling, Jiu-Jitsu and stand-up—he does it all well.
Tapology: Do you see him being defeated within the next few years?
Askren: Right now, I don’t see anyone in the UFC who can challenge him. He has beaten all of the top guys: Josh Koscheck, Jon Fitch, Thiago Alves, so I don’t know who can beat him right now. But obviously as the sport grows there are going to be more and more challengers, so there will be somebody.
Tapology: You have been fighting on the smaller shows since you just started fighting this year. How soon are you looking to move to a Strikeforce or a UFC?
Askren: As soon as possible. My managers have been talking with Strikeforce, so I should be there within the next couple of months, I would think. Probably January at the latest.
Tapology: Have you been in contact with the UFC at all, or has your management?
Askren: I don’t know. I think, but I’m not sure.
Tapology: It seems like Strikeforce is really going out of their way to scoop up a lot of guys with great wrestling pedigrees to build up their divisions. Are you confident that they are going to be able to build some solid divisions because of this?
Askren: What I’ve heard about Strikeforce is that they aren’t trying to get the old UFC fighters, because they have nothing to gain from them; they want to get their own guys. Everyone I have talked to has good things to say about Strikeforce; they are good to their fighters.
Tapology: You have already fought three times in 2009. Would you like to stay very active during your career, fighting 5-6 times per year?
Askren: Most definitely. I’m going to start wrestling again soon, so between wrestling, fighting, and maybe some grappling tournaments, I will be keeping busy.
Tapology: Do you think actively competing in wrestling is going to help you in your fighting career?
Askren: I’m not really sure how it’s going to work out. We’ll find out.
Tapology: What do you hope to get out of MMA? Is this a real career for you, would you like to become a champion, or are you just trying it out?
Askren: I want to be the best. I wouldn’t be in it if I didn’t want to be the best. I’m not very close yet, but I would like to be at some point.
Tapology: How soon do you think you are going to make a real impact in the welterweight division?
Askren: I think people will start recognizing me soon, and within the next year I should be able to start making a name for myself.
Tapology: Thanks for the time, Ben.
Askren: No problem.
