Ben Askren at the top of his game
“He would be champion,” Duke Roufus, head coach of Roufusport, told MMA Fighting. “He’d be the triple champ. ONE, Bellator, and UFC. I believe that. Unfortunately, circumstances and timing don’t work out. I’ve seen him do some special stuff in the cage and in practice ever since I met Ben. It’s just sometimes timing doesn’t line up in this industry.”
One major factor in Askren’s retirement was his doctors telling him he required hip replacement surgery. According to Roufus, the injury had been evident for sometime and it affected the fighter’s training camps. Though Askren himself has insisted he is not blaming the hip issues for his losses, Roufus saw a difference between Askren’s recent performances compared to years past.
“It’s been bad for a while. Honestly, training camps this year were hindered due to his hip. He’s just such a tough kid, just fighting through things. Not to make excuses, but it’s definitely affected him a lot.
“The toughest thing is timing. I wish that Ben would have been given the opportunity when he should have, to enter the UFC when he was coming out of Bellator. Everything worked out the way it did. I blame Bjorn Rebney [for] the way he treated that situation that caused Ben to not matter to the UFC.
“That being said, I wish Ben would have come into the UFC at that time. I think we would have seen the real Ben. Guys like myself and Tyron Woodley have talked about the special Ben. At that time he was untouchable.
“His stats are wonderful. Two-time world champion. Impressive record. What I like about Ben is the person he is as a combat sports athlete. He grew to be a big, popular fighter, and still has his own voice and personality at the same time.
“He never backed down from anyone and that’s a really powerful statement. Ben doesn’t budge from what he believes in and what he feels. I respect that about him so much.”
https://www.mmafighting.com/2019/11...-have-been-ufc-champion-if-hed-joined-earlier
Ben Askren at the top of his game
“He would be champion,” Duke Roufus, head coach of Roufusport, told MMA Fighting. “He’d be the triple champ. ONE, Bellator, and UFC. I believe that. Unfortunately, circumstances and timing don’t work out. I’ve seen him do some special stuff in the cage and in practice ever since I met Ben. It’s just sometimes timing doesn’t line up in this industry.”
One major factor in Askren’s retirement was his doctors telling him he required hip replacement surgery. According to Roufus, the injury had been evident for sometime and it affected the fighter’s training camps. Though Askren himself has insisted he is not blaming the hip issues for his losses, Roufus saw a difference between Askren’s recent performances compared to years past.
“It’s been bad for a while. Honestly, training camps this year were hindered due to his hip. He’s just such a tough kid, just fighting through things. Not to make excuses, but it’s definitely affected him a lot.
“The toughest thing is timing. I wish that Ben would have been given the opportunity when he should have, to enter the UFC when he was coming out of Bellator. Everything worked out the way it did. I blame Bjorn Rebney [for] the way he treated that situation that caused Ben to not matter to the UFC.
“That being said, I wish Ben would have come into the UFC at that time. I think we would have seen the real Ben. Guys like myself and Tyron Woodley have talked about the special Ben. At that time he was untouchable.
“His stats are wonderful. Two-time world champion. Impressive record. What I like about Ben is the person he is as a combat sports athlete. He grew to be a big, popular fighter, and still has his own voice and personality at the same time.
“He never backed down from anyone and that’s a really powerful statement. Ben doesn’t budge from what he believes in and what he feels. I respect that about him so much.”
https://www.mmafighting.com/2019/11...-have-been-ufc-champion-if-hed-joined-earlier
