FanHouse BenAskren

2008 Olympic wrestler and two-time NCAA wrestling champion Ben Askren kept his perfect MMA record intact by improving to 3-0 with a submission win Friday at Max Fights DM "Ballroom Brawl" in Des Moines, Iowa.

Askren, a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, stuck to his strengths, shooting early on and securing overhooks to look for a trip takedown. The 25-year-old then switched to a single leg to bring opponent Matt Delanoit to the ground. From there Askren avoided a triangle choke to pass to north-south, where he would finish with the choke at 1:15 of the opening round.

There was a considerable amount of buzz surrounding Ben Askren's MMA debut in February. The two-time NCAA wrestling champion, 2008 US Olympian and two-time winner of the Dan Hodge Trophy, which is the wrestling equivalent of the Heisman, is now 2-0 in his MMA career, defeating his first opponent via TKO and the second via arm-triangle choke. Neither fight has lasted longer than 90 seconds.

However, when Askren recently spoke to Fight! Magazine, he seemed very critical of his game, not to mention refreshingly honest about his future prospects.

In the latest sign that mixed martial arts is attracting an increasing number of world-class athletes, the Olympic wrestler Ben Askren has decided to turn pro in MMA.

Askren won two NCAA wrestling championships at Missouri and is one of only two two-time winners of the Dan Hodge Trophy, which is the wrestling equivalent of the Heisman. He then made the U.S. Olympic wrestling team and reached the quarterfinals in his weight class in Beijing.