An Interview With One Championship's Ben Askren

Wazzup Pilipinas!

ONE Championship continues on its rapid expansion next Friday, as Manila plays host to one of the biggest sporting events this year. ONE: VALOR OF CHAMPIONS will feature ONE Welterweight Ben Askren defending his title for the first time against Luis Santos.

We sat down with Ben Askren ahead of his upcoming title defense to ask him some questions running through our heads before the big fight night on April 24.

We asked him what he thinks the people have to look forward to in his match with Santos, and he said his match will be the same as Suzuki’s. Santos' ground game will be a little bit better but not that much. He is confident he will take Santos down, pound him out, and have his hands raised and the belt wrapped around his waist.

When asked if he thinks Santos has anything new or more difficult to bring to the table, Asken believes there won't be anything new he can't handle. Even though he has 70 fights, Asken believes he is the one who brings something new to the table because he has a skillset that is unique that no one can really give him the feel of in practice. "So even with 70 fights, Santos is gonna have a tough time dealing with me" says Askren.

Askren believes 100% that he is the best Welterweight in the world right now, and that Robbie Lawler would be the toughest opponent to fight. "Robbie Lawlerhas good take down defenses and he hits really hard. Robbie has a great streak going and I think he is a really tough fighter" adds Askren.

Our last question "What do you think about ONE in the MMA landscape?" was answered with "ONE has a really unique duopoly going with ONE being so dominant in Asia with UFC in America. We shall see."