5 Ben Askren fights that we missed out on in the UFC

#2 vs. Nick Diaz

Could Nick Diaz have stopped Askren's takedown?

Any time Nick Diaz is involved with a fight, it automatically becomes noteworthy, and a fight between the Stockton bad boy and Ben Askren definitely wouldn’t have been the exception to that rule. Can you imagine the kind of trash talk that could’ve occurred between the wise-cracking All-American wrestler in Askren and the marijuana smoking, almost permanently angry Diaz? That alone would’ve made the fight worth booking.

Even more intriguing though would’ve been the clash of styles inside the Octagon. How would Askren – an amateurish striker at best – have dealt with the boxing-heavy, volume-based attack of Diaz on the feet? And on the flip side, could Diaz have ever dealt with Askren’s wrestling, given his penchant for giving up takedowns to hunt for submissions from his back?

Gut feeling tells me Askren likely would’ve won this fight had it taken place; a look at Diaz’s record would tell you that traditionally, he always struggled with fighters who could take him down and keep him there, and despite being submitted by Demian Maia in his final fight, ‘Funky Ben’ was always a tremendous grappler.

Regardless of the result, this one would definitely have been awesome to watch – both in the build and in execution.