Ben Askren teases return to professional MMA

Former ONE Championship welterweight champion Ben Askren claims he “probably would” fight again, under the right circumstances.

Ben Askren announced his retirement from professional MMA in 2019, after suffering a violent KO loss to Jorge Masvidal, followed by another submission loss against MMA veteran Demian Maia. Ben Askren cited the fact that he needed to undergo a hip replacement surgery as the cause of his retirement.

However, Ben Askren has now stated that he's considering fighting again, only if the circumstances are conducive to his return.

“So here’s the deal: I would never make like full-fledge, ‘Hey, I’m gonna go fight, I’m gonna chase the title,’ [comments]” Askren said on his podcast (transcript via MMA Fighting). “But I love combat. I enjoy wrestling. I enjoy fighting. So yeah, if someone said, ‘Here’s some money, go fight one time. Here’s the right opponent, let’s have some fun.’ I probably would, you know?”

Ben Askren said that he believes he’ll have to keep competing in order to keep his weight and health in check. Askren revealed that he is planning to completely heal his hips and return to action after another year.

“I feel like I’m gonna have to do something to make sure I don’t get too heavy,” Askren said. “So I’m gonna have to compete in some way, shape, or form, might as well get paid for it. So I don’t see why not. And obviously, I’ve told you the UFC has expressed interest in giving me another fight but dude, my hip is so bad. So yeah, in a year or so.”

Ben Askren initially retired in 2017, after defeating Shinya Aoki in the ONE Championship cage. He later ended his retirement in 2018, when he joined the UFC as part of a high-profile exchange deal that saw long-time flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson move to the Asian MMA promotion.