Former UFC fighter Ben Askren will be moving away from the cage to the ring as he takes on infamous Youtuber Jake Paul in a boxing match this Saturday. Nonetheless, in this post we're specifically looking at Ben Askren's net worth in 2021.
But before he puts on the gloves (and admittedly get the highest paycheck of his life), let’s first have a look at his net worth at the moment.
Ben Askren’s net worth in 2021 (estimate): $500,000
Despite being a former Olympic wrestler and a professional fighter since 2009, Ben Askren’s net worth is not as significant as you might think. According to Celebrity net worth, “Funky” is worth half a million dollars, $500,000, as of 2021.
Then again, pay disparity in mixed martial arts has been a hot topic since it rose to global prominence.
With not much to show for after years of putting his body on the line, it makes sense for the 36-year-old retired MMA fighter to chase a big money fight with the brash Paul.
After all, Paul reportedly made somewhere around $10 million in his last bout against former NBA player Nate Robinson.
While Askren’s paycheck probably won’t be as lucrative, he’ll likely walk away with a bigger sum than any of his professional MMA fights.
Plus, unlike Robinson who has no business being in the ring, Askren actually fought for a living.
However, the playing field is a bit leveled here, since Ben Askren is more of a grappler than a striker. If this was an MMA match, no doubt Askren would dominate the social media star with his wrestling pedigree.
Askren’s stand-up game is not exactly his strongest suit. Paul, although still new in the game, has been training for quite some time now. Looks like he has some power in those hands, evidenced by that terrifying knockout win over Robinson.
Regardless of who wins, it’s clear that Askren’s bank account will get fatter after this weekend’s bout.
Before going down the road of fighting YouTube boxer Jake Paul, Askren rose to prominence as an NCAA Division 1 wrestling powerhouse for Arizona State University. Team USA soon took notice and he was called up to represent the country in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, but failed to get a podium finish.
With an extensive wrestling background, it was clear that MMA would be Askren’s next athletic venture. He started training MMA a year after his Olympic stint and made his professional debut in 2009.
Askren was a natural, as his unorthodox wrestling-heavy style proved way too overwhelming for his opponents. He fought near his natural weight at 170-lbs. and soon made a name for himself fighting in Bellator. He won the Bellator Welterweight title in just his fourth fight in the promotion and defended the title four times before moving to ONE Championship in 2014.
His reign of dominance continued, as Askren defeated every fighter pitted against him and had an 18-0 record in 2017.
MMA fans called Funky the best talent outside the UFC at the time, promoting Dana White to soon take notice.
The UFC and ONE Championship executed a never-before-seen trade agreement, exchanging Ben Askren for former UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson.
Askren came in the UFC hot and was a marketable guy at the time of his arrival. Funky, after all, was one of the best pure wrestlers in the game, while his brash attitude also turned a lot of heads.
He made a quick impact right away following his submission victory over former UFC Welterweight champion Robbie Lawler in 2019.
That was the last time he would ever see his hand raised in the octagon. Askren became the victim of one of the most brutal (and quickest) finishes in UFC history after getting knocked out by a flying knee from Jorge Masvidal at UFC 239.
Askren took on BJJ wiz Damian Maia next, in a classic grappling battle pitting wrestling versus jiu-jitsu. In the end, it was Maia who emerged victorious after choking out Askren in the third round.
A month after suffering his second consecutive loss, Askren called it quits and retired from mixed martial arts in 2019.
Apart from his ventures inside the cage, Askren also plays disc golf and finished ninth in the Amateur World Championships in 2009.
Askren has moved on to other things since retiring from MMA but claimed he’ll still participate in catch wrestling. He is also diversifying his assets through cryptocurrency investing.
Boxing betting trends, meanwhile, has Askren a +148 odds favorite against Paul. While Askren relied heavily on his wrestling during his fighting career, he did stand toe-to-toe with some elite strikers in the past. His fighting experience will still likely play a huge factor against Paul in their boxing bout.
With all that said, were you at all shocked by Ben Askren's net worth in 2021?
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