Askren Signs With Bellator
The Bellator Fighting Championship today announced the signing of former Olympian and 2-time NCAA Champion Ben Askren to compete in its upcoming 2nd season. Askren, sporting a 3-0 MMA record, is a 2008 Olympian and 2-time winner of the Dan Hodge Trophy, NCAA wrestling’’s version of the Heisman Trophy. He comes to Bellator as the most decorated United States wrestler ever to enter the MMA cage.
Considered to be the top MMA prospect not aligned with a major MMA promotion, the signing of Askren is a major coup for the upstart Bellator on the heels of its announcement of a national broadcast deal just a few weeks ago. Speculation on what major MMA promotion would sign Askren had been in the air for weeks. MMAJunkie.com incorrectly reported an imminent contractual signing in October with Strikeforce.
With respect to Askren’s decision to sign with Bellator, it signals a wake-up call to organizations such as Strikeforce and UFC to develop the next wave of fighters. Given just 3 professional fights, Bellator’s tournament approach provides a platform for the budding MMA superstar to hone his skills and grow as a fighter as he moves through the tournament.
In contrast, organizations such as Strikeforce and UFC would have rushed Askren to the cage and paired him with its top talent immediately to monetize the marketing value of his name. Recently, UFC cut 3-time NCAA champ Jake Rosholt after losing his second fight despite many observers believing that Rosholt is on track for future stardom.
“I am very happy to welcome Ben to Bellator,” said Bjorn Rebney, founder and CEO of Bellator Fighting Championships. “Ben’s an exciting fighter with unlimited potential and an unparalleled list of Olympic and collegiate accomplishments. We believe he can become a true force in this sport. As an MMA fan, I can’t wait for Ben’s first fight in our tournament on FOX Sports Net, NBC and Telemundo this April.”
Bellator, which sports a tournament style approach, pits 8 mixed martial arts fighters in a standard tourney bracket in a winner-takes-all approach. Unlike other promotions, Bellator does not create handpicked matchups for its fighters competing for the championship belt. In the upcoming season 2, the winner of the tournament receives an automatic shot at the current titleholder in the weight class.
Askren, on his decision to sign with Bellator shared, “I like that my fights are going to broadcast nationally, I like the tournament-style format and I love the opportunity to be a part of something exciting and new. I plan on winning Bellator. My goal, as it always has been, is to be the best in the world.”
With his signing, Askren will enter the welterweight (170 lbs.) tournament division. If he is able to pull of three victories, he will earn the right to fight current Bellator champion, undefeated Lyman Good (10-0).
Bellator’s will be featured live in primetime on Thursday nights on FOX Sports Net and its regional sports network affiliates beginning April 8, 2010. A weekly 30-minute highlights show of each week’s events will be aired every late nights on Saturdays on NBC. Telemundo will carry a taped-delay Spanish-translated replay every Saturday night at midnight.
Tags: bellator, ben askren, bjorn rebney, lyman good, strikeforce
