Ben Askren, two-time NCAA Division I champ for the University of Missouri and 2008 Olympic wrestler, has signed a long-time agreement with Bellator Fighting Championships, an MMA (mixed martial arts) organization.
According to Bellator's press release, Askren, 25, is slated to compete in Bellator’s welterweight (170 lbs.) division tournament. The promotion will kick off its second season on April 8, 2010 and will conduct eight-man tournaments in the featherweight (145 lbs.), lightweight (155 lbs.), welterweight (170 lbs.), and middleweight (185 lbs.) divisions to determine the No. 1 ranked challengers to face Bellator’s current champions.
At its website, Bellator Fighting Championships describes itself as "a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company with offices in Los Angeles and Chicago. Bellator’s founder/CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment professional with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes."
Askren launched his professional MMA career in February 2009, and has compiled a 3-0 record.
A native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Ben Askren grew up in Hartland, Wisconsin. He was a four-time NCAA All-American at Missouri, a four-time NCAA finalist, a two-time NCAA champ at 174 pounds in 2006 and 2007, and a three-time Big 12 champ. He compiled an 87-match win streak his last two years of college competition. Askren is one of only two wrestlers to win the prestigious Hodge Trophy twice as the best collegiate wrestler in the nation. Askren competed for the US at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in freestyle at 64 kg but failed to place.
After serving as an assistant coach at Missouri the past two years, earlier this year Askren became Director of Operations for the wrestling program at Arizona State.
Resources
Bellator Fighting Championships' press release annoucing the signing of Ben Askren
Ben Askren's official website
TheMat.com college wrestling scores for the week of December 7-13
College Wrestling 101: Links to articles answering basic questions about wrestling, including rules, scoring, uniforms, more
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