Ben Askren may be retired but his wrestling and strength are still on point.
Askren resurfaced on MMA Twitter recently with a video showing the former Bellator and ONE Championship titleholder wrestling an Australian rules football player. Askren would get the better of the exchange, successfully slamming the footballer into a takedown before attempting an armbar submission.
In the video, the rest of the Australian team can be heard in the background enjoying the demonstration.
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Fans reacted to the video on social media with many impressed by Askren's persistent skillset despite his retirement. One fan called Askren's grappling 'elite,' saying people 'forgot' how good the wrestler was prior to his UFC run.
Some fans also commented on Askren's recent hip replacement surgery, writing:
"This should be an advertisement for how good life is post hip replacement."
To some, the video was a reminder of the wrestling skills 'Funky' possessed in MMA and made them reminiscent of the former champion's undefeated run. Prior to being traded to the UFC, Askren was 19-0 with one no contest including 10 championship wins.
Other fans who were impressed by Askren said:
"It's sad Ben couldn't get to the UFC in his prime"
"Prime Askren was wild"
"Mad how Ben's giving minimal effort lol levels to it"
"Crazy that he wasn't in the UFC during his prime and all he'll be remembered for is the Masvidal KO. The dude was an undefeated menace before then."
View more fan reactions to Ben Askren on social media below:
Is Ben Askren still fighting?
Though Ben Askren has proved to still have top-notch wrestling skills, the former undefeated champion is still retired from professional fighting.
However, Askren has remained in elite shape despite retirement. The American shared his post-fighting career physique on Instagram in July, impressing his fans.
Though Askren briefly came out of retirement to box Jake Paul in 2021, the former fighter has stated many times since then that he is done with all fighting competitions.