Multiple time world champion and former UFC welterweight contender Ben Askren has opened the door to a potential run in WWE.
In an in-depth interview with Chris Van Vliet, Askren noted that he had been on WWE’s radar since his collegiate wrestling days and had multiple interactions with WWE scout, and Hall of Famer, Gerry Brisco:
There was this guy named Gerald Brisco, he would always come to the NCAA tournaments and actually you know the thing he used to always tell me? He would tell me like every single year, ‘Ben if you were over 200 pounds I could make you a million dollars’. And I said, ‘Gerry, I’m not going to be that big ever. So, sorry. And I want to wrestle in the Olympics. I’m just not that interested’. So actually when I was at the Performance Center, Gerald came over and we bulls****ted and he’s a great guy.
Askren is set to face YouTube sensation Jake Paul in a boxing match on Sunday April 18th, with an undercard that includes fellow UFC alumni Frank Mir facing former boxing champion Antonio Tarver.
The man known as ‘Funky’ went into further detail about a recent visit to the Performance Center and how an appearance with the WWE might be possible:
I went down there in October. It was fun, they were really cool… I left with an open door there. I’m running my Askren Wrestling Academy business so I don’t think it’s something I would do full time but I would be interested in doing a little something with them. I really like them, everyone there was really cool and they run a really professional operation down there, it was awesome.
Askren is a hugely decorated amateur wrestler, who represented Team USA in the 2008 Olympics, as well as having enjoyed great success in Mixed Martial Arts, winning welterweight gold in both Bellator and ONE FC.
To watch the full interview with Ben Askren and many other great guests, check out Chris Van Vliet’s YouTube page