NCAA Division I Champion wrestler and Olympic team member Ben Askren has plenty of experience on the mat as he heads into his biggest fight to date as part of the Bellator Fighting Championship roster in their 170-pound tournament on April 15th, and as he recently told Wisconsin Combat Sports, he’s going to look to use that edge against every opponent he faces in Bellator while making a name for himself early in his career;

“I chose Bellator for a number of reasons. They offered me the best contract, I can get three fights done in three months, and on top of that I really think that they will do a good job of promoting me. I feel good about facing (Ryan) Thomas. I hear that he’s a good wrestler, and if that’s his strongest suit, obviously he’s not going to beat me there. I also hear that submissions are strong for him, but he’s not going to beat me there either. So for me this is a really good match-up. I’m still working a lot on stand-up, because that’s my weakest point. But I do intend on taking it to the ground and if a guy is weak on their submission defense I do plan on submitting him. I’m going to win this fight by submission, fast. I feel great about my chances of winning this tournament. My wrestling and my grappling are good enough to beat anybody.”

Askren has gone 3-0 to begin his MMA career, stopping one opponent with strikes while submitting the other two with an arm triangle choke and a north-south choke. With Askren’s wrestling background, his purple belt in jiu-jitsu and his training with American Top Team, he could prove to be a dark horse in a Welterweight tournament that also features Brett Cooper, “Judo” Jim Wallhead and rising star Dan Hornbuckle.

Nokaut