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Fans have reacted to Ben Askren claiming he would defeat Khabib Nurmagomedov in a wrestling match.
Throughout UFC history, many world-class wrestlers have found success in MMA. Two of the greatest grapplers who fit that description are Askren and Nurmagomedov, with 'Funky' having more accolades in wrestling and 'The Eagle' becoming an Octagon legend.
Askren recently appeared on the JAXXON PODCAST and was asked how he would fare in a wrestling match against Nurmagomedov. The two-time NCAA Division I national champion responded by saying:
"That would have been fun to do, but I always feel like since I lost two fights at the end of my career, I feel like I can't talk about him because he had no losses. Yeah, I mean that's someone I would have loved to fight. If we wrestled in a wrestling match, I'd pick myself."
Askren's comments were clipped and shared on Instagram. Fans took to the comment section and had mixed reactions about the fantasy wrestling match:
"Khabib would've mauled him"
"Ben destroys him in a wrestling match"
"I actually believe that”
Watch Ben Askren talk about him taking on Khabib Nurmagomedov in MMA and wrestling below:
When did Ben Askren and Khabib Nurmagomedov retire from MMA?
Ben Askren started his UFC tenure with an impressive win against Robbie Lawler. Unfortunately for him, things went downhill after he suffered back-to-back losses against Jorge Masvidal and Demian Maia, with the latter being his last MMA fight in October 2019.
Askren temporarily came out of retirement for a boxing match against Jake Paul in April 2021. 'Funky' didn't fare well in the unfamiliar territory, as Paul dismantled him with a first-round knockout by an overhand right.
Meanwhile, Khabib Nurmagomedov last fought in October 2020, defeating Justin Gaethje to defend his UFC lightweight title. Shortly after getting his hand raised, Nurmagomedov announced he was retiring due to the passing of his legendary father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.
'The Eagle' has been approached several times for a return fight, but he's refused to go against his mother's wishes. Nurmagomedov walked away with a perfect professional MMA record of 29-0.
