BEN ASKREN WILL jump straight in at the deep end for his first taste of life in the UFC.
Contracts have yet to be signed, but UFC president Dana White has confirmed — according to a report by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto — that Askren will share the octagon with Robbie Lawler on 26 January at UFC 233 in Anaheim, California.
Askren (18-0) was recently at the centre of the first major trade of fighters between organisations. The Missouri native left Asian powerhouse ONE Championship, with former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson moving in the opposite direction.
A former NCAA Division One champion, Askren’s elite wrestling credentials saw him become a dominant welterweight champion for organisations such as ONE and Bellator.
The 34-year-old is regarded by many as the best currently-active fighter never to compete in the UFC. Among his most notable results are wins over Lyman Good, Douglas Lima, Andrey Koreshkov and — most recently, in November 2017 — Shinya Aoki.
Having undergone surgery to repair a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, Lawler (28-12) hasn’t fought since his unanimous-decision loss to Rafael dos Anjos last December.
The 36-year-old Californian became the UFC’s welterweight champion in 2014 by overcoming Johny Hendricks, before making successful defences of the title in a pair of memorable bouts against Rory MacDonald and Carlos Condit.
Although he lost the belt as a result of a first-round KO defeat to current champion Tyron Woodley, Lawler is still ranked in the 170-pound division’s top five and will provide Askren with the kind of test that can allow him to prove that he belongs among the best.
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