2008 Olympic wrestler and two-time NCAA wrestling champion Ben Askren kept his perfect MMA record intact by improving to 3-0 with a submission win Friday at Max Fights DM "Ballroom Brawl" in Des Moines, Iowa.
Askren, a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, stuck to his strengths, shooting early on and securing overhooks to look for a trip takedown. The 25-year-old then switched to a single leg to bring opponent Matt Delanoit to the ground. From there Askren avoided a triangle choke to pass to north-south, where he would finish with the choke at 1:15 of the opening round.
Askren completed college at the University of Missouri with a 153-8 record, 91 of which were pinfalls, placing him third on the all-time Division 1 list. In his last two years of collegiate wrestling, Askren was unbeaten in 87 matches.
Ricco Rodriguez Wins By TKO
Former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez picked up his third victory of the year Saturday, stopping Justin Howard in the first round with punches in a featured bout at King of Kombat 7 in Austin, Texas.
Rodriguez has now won eight of his last ten as he works towards a UFC comeback. Speaking last week to The Observer, Rodriguez said that he wants to shock the world and move down to light heavyweight if he receives the call from the UFC.
Headlining the card was 2-time Bellator featherweight Nick Gonzalez, who snapped a two-fight losing streak with a first-round TKO over Dustin Neace.
Jeff Monson vs. Tony Sylvester Postponed
A heavyweight bout between Jeff Monson and Tony Sylvester that was supposed to happen this past Saturday at NAAFS "Rock N Rumble 3" has been postponed. The promotion allowed Monson the fight off to focus on his rematch with Pedro Rizzo at Bitetti Combat in two weeks.
Heavyweight Josh Hendricks, who lost to Gabriel Gonzaga in 61 seconds at UFC 91, fell in the main event to Joe McCall.
Yoshiro Maeda Wins at DEEP Osaka Impact
Chris Tuchscherer wasn't the only fighter over the weekend to go down hard from a kick below the belt. PRIDE and WEC veteran Yoshiro Maeda was also a recipient of a low blow at DEEP Osaka Impact at the Zepp Osaka. But the difference was that Maeda benefited from the kick and was awarded the disqualification win over Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu player Kleber Koike at 4:00 of round one.
Click here for results from M-1 Breakthrough and here for UFC 102.
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