Askren to defend ONE title on 4/15
Ben Askren: “I am excited to be fighting since my 2015 was pretty much ruined by one idiot. I can’t wait to get back in the cage and get down to business.”
The undefeated Ben Askren will defend his ONE Championship welterweight title vs. Nikolay Aleksakhin on April 15, in the main event of the ONE: Global Rivals, at Mall of Asia Arena in Manila.
Make every story count.
Join XP Passport to earn XP as you read and build your martial arts profile.
Adam Hill has the story for the Las Vegas Review Journal.
The 2008 Olympic wrestler and two-time NCAA champion at Missouri had a strange 2015. Askren’s April bout against Luis Santos ended in a no contest, when Santos couldn’t continue after an eye poke in the first round. A potential rematch was scrapped in November when Santos missed weight to nullify the title bout and then, according to ONE officials, refused to accept terms of a second weigh-in.
“I am excited to be fighting since my 2015 was pretty much ruined by one idiot,” Askren told Hill on Wednesday. “I can’t wait to get back in the cage and get down to business.”
“I look forward to facing Aleksakhin. He has a good record and looks like a tough opponent,” Askren said. “That being said I expect nothing short of domination.”
“ONE has been great to me and I am excited to keep helping them grow their brand across Asia and the entire world.”
More coverage
UFC Vegas 123 preview: Moicano and Nolan headline a Halloween card where the main event odds have already flipped, and Julian Erosa fights for the last time
Four straight losses, a split from City Kickboxing, and a promise of blood in the sand. The former two-time middleweight champion says he has his motivation back.
