That Guy With the Afro, He's the Best Prospect in MMA
by E. Spencer Kyte on Jan 1, 2010 6:26 PM EST
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PrintDana White may not have known his name in the heat of cursing out Jake Rossen in his video blog earlier in the week, but everyone, including the UFC President, knows that Ben Askren is one of the best prospects in the sport.
Personally, I think he's at the top of the list.
In my latest piece at Heavy.com, the 10 for '10 Series that began yesterday with the 10 fights I want to see in 2010 continues with a look at my picks for the best up-and-comers in the business, and Askren tops that list:
Yes, his gigantic mess of curly hair may make him look a little off, but his credentials are outstanding: two-time National Wrestling Champion in the 174-pound weight class, four-time All-American and 153-8 record wrestling at Missouri. He also competed in the 2008 Olympics, losing the quarterfinals.
Since then, Askren has made MMA his focus, earning his first three professional wins by stoppage in a combined 4:07. As if that wasn’t reason enough to be hyped up about the kid with the crazy hair his friends call "Funky," some of those friends include the aforementioned members of the Arizona Combat Sports gym, American Top Team and AKA, all places Askren has trained during his brief-but-promising career.
While many will correctly point to fighters like Phil Davis and Jacob McClintock as being a part of the list, others may surprise you.
The only way to find out is to swing by Heavy.com and check out the rest of the list.
Happy 2010 Everyone...
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Did you seriously cite Jason Guida as a key victory?
Blackout612- "Wuts teh UFC?"
Ubernoober- "It like two guy who just stand and swing for fence and try to knock each other shit out it awesome"
Not a “key victory” but a “here’s a name you might have heard that can draw your attention to this International prospect you might not have heard of before.”
by E. Spencer Kyte on Jan 1, 2010 9:30 PM EST up reply actions
Fair enough
Seeing the name Jason Guida can sometimes do more harm than good. Ha..
Blackout612- "Wuts teh UFC?"
Ubernoober- "It like two guy who just stand and swing for fence and try to knock each other shit out it awesome"
I don't believe he will make a big impact in mma...
Because the fights I’ve seen with Askgren he doesn’t look that hot.
by Pontus on Jan 2, 2010 9:53 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
Askren is not the best prospect in MMA. He has great credentials in wrestling, but so does Jake Rosholt.
by Hardcharger on Jan 2, 2010 10:38 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
Yes, but unlike Rosholt, Askren has something else to offer besides top-level wrestling. His BJJ is pretty solid, as evident by the quick North-South choke and triangle wins in his last two fights.
by E. Spencer Kyte on Jan 2, 2010 3:27 PM EST up reply actions
I disagree
We haven’t seen enough of him yet for him to be considered anything of the sort. He is a very solid young prospect, and one that should make it into the big leagues, but there’s no way in hell he’s the best prospect in the sport.
Two things:
1. What makes someone the best prospect in the sport?
2. Who do you offer up in his place?
Part of it all depends on how you define prospect. King Mo hasn’t had many fights, but everyone knows who he is, so to me, he’s no longer a prospect. On the other hand, Askren is the epitome of prospect to me – a kid with a world of potential who is just getting into the sport, but could do big things in the coming years.
by E. Spencer Kyte on Jan 2, 2010 3:29 PM EST up reply actions
Ok, think about this: ALL 3 of his opponents have LOSING RECORDS. He is overhyped. Better prospect at 185: Jacare.
I don’t consider Jacare a prospect, though.
People who really follow MMA have known about him for some time. Though he’s just gaining exposure in North America now, he’s a bona fide talent, not a prospect.
by E. Spencer Kyte on Jan 5, 2010 1:25 AM EST up reply actions
bq.In my latest piece at Heavy.com,
I am not sure why but this line really turns me off from wanting to read anything you have written.
"Stop smiling you are about to be punched in the face !"
not too sure about this
askren had a very unorthodox style of wrestling that im not too sure will work as well at the higher levels of mma sure hes a great athelete and can dominate the cans hes beaten already but im not sure if he can make an impact in mma let alone be considered the top prospect
Thing is – he’s more than just a wrestler. He’s shown a nice submission game thus far and has been working with a number of top teams to hone his skills and keep improving.
Ultimately, things like this are just a crap shoot – you pick a fighter, hitch your cart to them, and hope they pan out. The kid could blow out his knee tomorrow and never be able to fight again (knocking on wood repeatedly…)
Or he could keep improving and become a phenomenal talent.
Just rolling the dice…
by E. Spencer Kyte on Jan 5, 2010 1:28 AM EST up reply actions
I’m not quite sure why people are so resistant to recognizing Askren as at least one of the top prospects. Askren was the Hodge Trophy winner twice in college (it’s like the Heisman of collegiate wrestling). The only other person to do that was Cael Sanderson. Askren is already an elite grappler and he’s only a purple belt. Askren was a quarter finalist at ADCC and owned everyone at whatever qualifying grapplers’ quest tournament he won to gain that spot.
His striking however is atrocious. Nevertheless his wrestling is so good that he’ll be able to control where the fight goes. He has freakish flexibility and an uncanny sense of what risks to take. His wrestling was also extremely technical. I think he’s going to make the transition to MMA fine, even without much if any of a striking game. We’ll see whether he’s for real in the Bellator tournament.
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