Last month, longtime welterweight fighter Ben Askren dropped
hints that his retirement from professional mixed martial arts wasn't that far off. On Monday's edition of Ariel Helwani's MMA Show on ESPN, the former Bellator and ONE welterweight champion officially announced his retirement.
"I'm retiring from the sport of MMA," Askren said.
"Frankly, I'm retiring from everything."
"I've been having hip problems, and I finally had the discussion with my doctor ... and I need a [left] hip replacement," Askren revealed. "So, man, that's it for me. I've been thinking about this for a week and what I was going to say, and I'm filled with gratitude for how great of a career I've been able to have, even though obviously in the end it did not turn out to go my way."
Askren explained that he'd been suffering from hip issues for the past "3-5 years-ish," but has been able to fight through it. He also made it clear that his hip issues were not the reason he lost his last two fights in the UFC.
"I don't want people to think I'm using [my hip injury] as a reason why I lost," Askren said.
"I lost because I wasn't good enough, plain and simple, my opponents beat me, they were better than me. And I want that to be said out there."
Askren made his UFC debut on March 2, beating former champion Robbie Lawler by submission (bulldog choke) in the first round. But the finish was deemed controversial, with many accusing referee Herb Dean of stopping the bout too soon. It was unclear if Lawler had gone unconscious from the coke, and he immediately popped up when Askren released it and argued.
The win pushed Askren's professional record to 19-0, and set him up with a match against Jorge Masvidal. The two met at UFC 239 on July 6 and Masvidal knocked out Askren in just five seconds with a running knee -- the quickest knockout in UFC history. It was also a knockout that propelled Masvidal to super stardom.
Askren returned to the Octagon again in the main event of UFC Singapore on October 26 and
lost to Demian Maia by submission in the third round. That will ultimately be Askren's final fight professionally.
"I got really emotional the other day because I started thinking about all the great experiences I've had, and how lucky I've been to have the amount of success I've had," Askren said.