Ben Askren’s time as a professional fighter has come to an end.
The MMA superstar told Ariel Helwani on Monday that he was retiring from the sport, and that he also needs a hip replacement. (SLIDESHOW: These UFC Women Really Hate Wearing Clothes)
You can watch his retirement comments below. (SLIDESHOW: These Are The Greatest Ronda Rousey Photos On The Internet)
“I’m retired from the sport of mixed martial arts and frankly, I’m retired from everything.”@Benaskren cites needing a hip replacement as a factor in his retirement (via @arielhelwani) pic.twitter.com/OZLG2ZDTBj
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) November 18, 2019
Well, this kind of sucks. Askren was supposed to set the UFC on fire, and things were looking good after a win over Robbie Lawler. (SLIDESHOW: These Are The Sexiest Paige VanZant Photos On The Internet)
However, things didn’t end well. Askren suffered back-to-back losses to end his career, and his loss to Jorge Masvidal was just brutal.
To say Askren’s time in the UFC didn’t go as expected would be the understatement of the year.
Judging from his comments above, Askren plans on relaxing for the time being. I don’t blame him. The fighting game is a brutal one, and he’s been in it for a long time.
I think it’s safe to say Askren has earned the right to enjoy his free time a bit.
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While it might not have ended as we all wanted, I think it’s safe to say Askren was incredibly popular among the fans.
He knows who he is, and he doesn’t run from it. That’s a rare quality these days. I hope he stays in the public eye to some degree. He’s way too entertaining to just disappear.
Stay funky, Ben. It was fun while it lasted.
