University of Missouri                                          

Athletic Media Relations

260 Hearnes Center

P.O. Box 677

Columbia, MO 65205

www.mutigers.com                    

 

(573) 882-3241                       FAX (573) 882-4720

Cell: (314) 363-6627                                                                                                                                                                                                            

 

COLUMBIA, Mo. – After earning a pair of national championships while wrestling at Mizzou, Ben Askren is quickly developing a reputation as one of the top fighters on the Bellator Mixed Martial Arts tour and he will put his undefeated 10-0 record on the line tonight as he looks to win his third straight Welterweight World Championship.

 

The fight will air live on Spike at 9 p.m. (CT) at the Winstar Casino in Thackerville, Okla., and Askren, nicknamed ‘Funky’ on the Bellator circuit, will take on Karl Amoussou for the Welterweight Title of the World. Amoussou, nicknamed ‘Psycho’, is 16-4 overall and has a very differing fighting style than Askren. Amoussou has earned four knock-outs and nine submissions this season while Askren has earned six of his 10 wins by decision. Fortunately for Askren, three of Amoussou’s four losses this season have come via decision.

 

Askren, a two-time NCAA National Champion at 174 pounds and former US Olympian, is one of the most recognizable and memorable student-athletes in Mizzou history. Askren became the wrestling program's first-ever National Champion in 2006 and repeated his successful run through the NCAA Tournament in 2007. In addition, Askren became the program's first-ever graduate to compete at the Olympics, doing so in Beijing, China, in 2008 in the 64 kg, men's freestyle championships. The former 174 pounder rewrote the Missouri wrestling history books. Surpassing names that had previously stood at No. 1 for decades, Askren closed his college career with a record-setting 153 wins, 87 coming consecutively during the course of his junior and senior seasons, 91 career falls and 29 single season pins.

 

For all the latest on Mizzou wrestling, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on twitter @MizzouWrestling.

 

 

 

 

Tony Randazzo

Mizzou Media Relations | Wrestling 

University of Missouri | Columbia 

C: 314-363-6627

ajrandazzo@mizzou.edu
@trandazzo8