Askren carried on with the takedown attempt like nothing had happened.



Now, likely far past his physical prime, Askren is suffering collisions that he can’t just shrug off or push through.

Let’s take a look at how Askren has operated in his last few noteworthy fights. If you’ve read my work on wrestling in MMA before, you’ll know that my focus is largely on ringcraft, how does a wrestling-based MMA fighter enter into wrestling situations, and in what ways does the rest of their game support or hinder those methods?

If you were hoping for a technical breakdown of how Askren performs certain techniques, or something on his top game, this is not the article for you. BJJ Scout has worked tirelessly on covering Askren’s game, please watch his videos as they are excellent.

If you’re looking for insights into the game of Demian Maia, Askren’s October 26th opponent, our grappling analyst Tommy Elliot did an incredible job breaking down Maia’s performances against wrestlers.

Sine Qua Non: Demian Maia vs. Wrestlers

Together, Tom and I went back and forth to break down Ben Askren vs. Demian Maia.

Demian Maia vs. Ben Askren: Grappler's Paradise?

Tom’s insights came largely from his article, mine came from the content below.

Process and Habits

To start most fights, Askren walks forward with his hands outstretched, putting himself very obviously into his opponent’s striking range. This strategy comes with the assumption that if you walk straight into someone with your hands away from your face in MMA, they’re going to try to punch it. This excludes several ONE and Bellator opponents like Zebaztian Kadestam who backed themselves straight into the cage when faced with the threat of Askren’s outstretched hands, offering him an entry on a silver platter.

There are plenty of fighters who wouldn’t just stand there and could actually play off the hands to angle off and evade laterally, as Robbie Lawler showed in flashes, but let’s assume they can’t do that.

Either way, you’re taking a huge risk, putting yourself in mortal peril to get what is basically guaranteed grappling contact. It’s a minimalist’s approach, leaning on your biggest strength to fight through unideal situations rather than crafting a game that sets up wrestling in a relatively safe, replicable manner.

It’s not even necessary to develop your striking to the point where it could be your “A” game, like Chad Mendes or prime Johny Hendricks. You just have to be competent enough to exist in striking exchanges, being able to convince your opponent your strikes are worth reacting to is a huge benefit to anyone looking to wrestle in MMA.

Given the strength of his top game, Ben Askren is partially justified in his approach. He probably doesn’t need several takedowns per round, even if he’s not in dominant control after one shot, he’s begun a long, drawn out process of grappling that extends to the clinch.

But what if that doesn’t work?

In his advanced age, and given what can happen to him in between takedown attempts, Askren cannot just shoot over and over again until he gets what he wants.