New Opportunities and Challenges : Speakers & Interviews

i meant c-o-c-k-y bastard.

he is a y bastard.

Who cares if he isn't wrestling anymore? I'd like to see him go at it in MMA. He was the best in college and after some training he was the best in America in freestyle. I wouldn't doubt that after some time he's one of the best in MMA.

oh to andy i know ben askren may seem y to some.... but really it's just confidence that you just need to have..... you have to believe in yourself.... i really don't think ben askren thinks he's the .... he's just doing what he's suppose to and is doing what works for him

yeah only went to the olympics pinned a guy and is now exploring mma..... guess that doesn't count as doing something with your life

why not do somthing in the field that you studied? Do somthing with your life.

He didnt feel like wrestling because he got his ass kicked and made promises he couldnt keep. He's the same as an attention whore.

Bobby Douglas said it best in his interview. We need to find ways to keep our best wrestlers on the wrestling mat. Why keep wrestling when you make peanuts doing it? You can switch to MMA and make alot of money. Even in the lower levels they make more money than the best wrestlers. How can we compete with other countries like Russia if our athletes leave to pursue money? We need to find a way to keep them. Most people have no idea the financial burden going to the Olympics brings on an American athlete in any sport. Other countries take care of the athletes. I believe that we have many wrestlers that could have done great internationally but financially they had to go back to work to provide for the family. Just my thoughts.

lol Man, Ben certainly seems to draw a lot of negativity from people ... He's definitely a character, and while that may not go over well in the wrestling community, it does seem to generate a lot of interest within the MMA world.

Ben's style is unique, so we'll have to see how it translates over to MMA ... you just never know until he gets out there a few times and we see if he can handle getting hit, etc... Some wrestlers panic when they get tagged, but the hardnosed wrestlers don't, and in fact those types eventually rise right to the top of their respective weight classes.
I'm not so sure about Ben's thoughts on striking, as I feel that he'll be forced to pick it up at some point. Diving for TDs from the outside can be disastrous against some fighters, and if you can't set your TDs up properly using strikes and level changes then you're going to eat some leather .. no matter how good you think you are...lol
I hope he does well though, as I pull for all wrestlers that enter MMA ... Having wrestled myself I understand the dedication and sacrifice dues that you have to pay in order to do well in the sport ... it's truly unlike any other sport out there.
T-Wood looks like a great prospect too. I've seen one of his fight on youtube and he looked solid ... That was a while ago though, and I'm sure he's even better at this point.
I'm looking forward to seeing Ben debut, and also more of T-Wood as well..lol Best of Luck Guys ... I do truly love wrestling, and I support any wrestlers that makes his way into the world of MMA.

k-dog is a total d-bag

Nicely Done you are lame. Ben was never arrogant he was just good and c*cky. Something people have a hard time dealing with, personally I love it!!!! In college I wish he took more brief cases to center mat.

Nicely Done you are lame. Ben was never arrogant he was just good and y. Something people have a hard time dealing with, personally I love it!!!! Personally in college I wish he took more brief cases to center mat.

This interview seems to show that the Olympic experience and its aftermath have helped Ben to grow. He's confident, but without a trace of arrogance. Bravo. I would love to see him stay humble and pursue a freestyle gold in 2012.

Ben is the man. Whatever he decides to do..he will be a sucess at. If you want to make money in America and not win a gold medal in wrestling..then you must fight. If you want to win a gold medal in wrestling and make some cash..then move to Russia. Either way....our best wrestlers are faced with this decision rght now...and who goes to russia or the eastern block to train in the living conditions there! Too bad there are no alternatives for our great wrestlers in this nation right now. This is why we are getting our asses handed to us internationally right now.

Ben thinks he is the man but he's not, he is just a fool who wants attention from everyone and that's why he is making the jump into mma, because he wants to be famous and that's it, grow up you ego maniac

Ben Askren is not a quitter. I've seen many of his matches and he is one of the most mentally tough individuals I've ever seen step on a wrestling mat. On the other hand it is naive to think one can rise to the top of international wrestling with one year of competition at that level. Even Gable, Smith, and Sanderson lost initially when they entered the international realm. On the other hand Ben is a big boy now and if he wants to move on to other things then I respect this man's decision. I only hope that in the violent world of MMA he does not get hurt. That would be a shame.

I heard he already was asked to be on the show but turned it down because it is during the college wrestling season

Hopefully, he will get invited to the next "The Ultimate Fighter". He has the out spoken personality that would work well for the show

this is weak.
a european or asian wrestler would never talk like this!

weak weakt!!!

Ben has a thinking mind. He's staying close to his sport and getting some additional exposure through MMA. He's all about logistics, and that is not bad for a 24 year old. I think he has every chance to feel good about himself, his work and his decisions at the end of the day. Good interview. Thanks.

You're the man Ben. Looking forward to seeing you fight.

This is why America is failing at the international level.
Period.
Nobody has the ultimate goal of a gold.

"I see these guys talking all this crap, and they don't have the skills to even come close to beating the other guy. Am I going to make crazy promises that I can't come through with, no." -- Ben on MMA

How many times did you say you were going to win an Olympic gold, and how crazy were those statements in hindsight for you (not to mention intelligent wrestling fans at that time)? Sorry Ben, but you had much less of a chance of winning a gold medal as a has-been Royce Gracie had of beating Matt Hughes...

great post WOW!!!

TJX, wow who the heck do you think you are. Are you a state champion. NO
Are you a National Champion. NO and last but not least Did you ever go overseas to wrestle for your country. Just as I though NO so stop disrespecting a great guy like Ben. When you know that you will never be in the same sentence as him.

Wrestling for the most part, besides training for a triatholon is probably the hardest sport you can do. It is incredibly draining to do. He has wrestled for probably some where around 15 years. He has gone through all the tough practices all the weight cutting. He has won state championships and national championsips and he qualifies for the OLYMPICS. I would hardly call this guy a quitter. He was one of the guys that made NCAA wrestling exciting, with all his funk and him constantly pinning people. He has had a great career and now he wants to move on. I'm perfectly fine with that.

wow.
how can you call this guy a quiter. what if i told you guys to drop your career. then start working out for about 10 grand a year, if that, to full fill a dream that is only recoginized by about .01% of america. none of you guys would do it. so shut up. stop calling a hard working man a quitter. It is his life get off his back.

that is one troubled mind

"I would slap you with a greasy pork chop." Just Priceless. LOL!!! TJ X needed that.

Ben is a pretty smart guy, I'm pretty sure he's not hurting on money. If you have a college degree and you are smart enough to find ways to make money doing something you love - why would you go get some other crappy job?

I' am reasonably certain he is entering MMA with the same focus and determination he wrestled with. To dominate, not be one of the 99% that is under paid.

Well wrestling for money is a joke as well. The guy needs a career. He needs to make money somehow. So he fights and coaches. Not great money but better than just wrestling.

Over 90% of professional MMA fighters make less money per year than school teachers. Pro fighters are broke. Only the top few percent in the WORLD make any real money. I hope everyone realizes that MMA is probably the lowest paying professional sport there is. Entering MMA for "the money" is a joke.

I respect what he's doing. That being said, I hope he's back with USAW in four years; jiu-jitsu will make him a stronger grappler and no one can claim he'll be out of shape after training in MMA, which as we know requires significant wrestling skills. Here's hoping for a successful transition!

Good interview homes. I see you stepping your PR Game Up.
TJX you are drunk off "HATERADE!" I wish you were standing in front of me. I would slap you with a greasy pork chop. If you even knew Ben one bit then you would know that it was not about the money. He never said that he will quit wrestling. If you ever watched the russians wrestle, his style is the closest to it. As wrestlers we put our body, mind, and soul on the line everyday to be the best. Thats no different than MMA. It adds a new element to the game. The excitement element. The excitement of walking into the gym and reaching short term goals. Getting taught something you are NOT good at. When you wrestle on such a high level its all about tweaking and adjusting. Your style is pretty much solidified. But a wrestler learning to strike you have to start from the very basics. That makes going to the gym a new "Challange." Money is not what made him make his decision to pursue MMA (not quit wrestling), the Challange did. And his stepping up to the challange well consistantly is the reason why he did so well in wrestling and was a one of the pioneers for the "scramble" style of wrestling. He could have just said that these guys are faster, stronger, more athletic and settle for "good". But he figured out a system that hadn't had much development and found a way to win and acheived "EXCELLENT". This guys is getting to my leg, then i will scamble and he will pay. This guy is more athletic, then i will have to wear him down first and then he will pay. This guy is stronger, then i would have to use motion and his momentum and then he will PAY. Thats steppin up to the challange. As Mo Lawal said, their are haters out there.
-Be slow to Judge, and quick to join support group!-
That is if you really love- wrestling

here isa novel thought...get a job? Didn't you just get a college degree?

QUITTER!!! Any time anybody says "it is not about the money" IT IS ALWAYS ABOUT THE MONEY! Don't tell me that if USA Wrestling decided to pay this quitter $2.5 million next year to compete on the world level with a $10 million signing bonus and additional money in endorsements, DONT TELL ME HE WOULDN'T BE BACK ON HERE IN ONE MINUTE SAYING, "Well guys, I decided to drop MMA and wrestle again but never think or say it's about the money, I just miss wrestling so much." The fact of the matter is Ben Askren's style of wrestling was good enough to win the NCAAs and win the US Open but beyond that, it simply didnt bode well for international style of wrestling. This makes me appreciate a guy like Dan Gable so much more, knowing he was willing to sacrifice everything, family, money, friends, EVERYTHING to become an Olympic Champion at all cost. Go to the MMA Ben, you big quitter and get your dome smashed in. But when you are saying, "I am going to quit after tomorrow (Olympics) if I win this tournament, that already tells me this guy DIDNT EVEN WANT BE IN BEIJING, PERIOD!!!" Do you think Dan Gable, Barry Davis, Tom Brands, Dave Schultz, Kenny Monday, Saitiev, etc...ever thought like that for one minute when they finally go to the Olympics to represent their nation??? I AM GOING TO QUIT TOMORROW WHEN THIS IS OVER BECAUSE MY BRACKET LOOKS SO TOUGH. Man, I used to respect this quitter but not anymore!

Perfect example of why our Int. wrestling effort blows right now.

Sorry to see Ben quit.

Dont get your head rattled, we need you at the olympics .On the other hand we fans will watch every fight. Go get em Ben . Glad your back on here.