Wednesday

Thursday

Bellator Fighting Championships welterweight titleholder Ben Askren does not want to be viewed as a wrestler who is afraid to leave his comfort zone. He recognizes that many of his peers have relied too heavily on their base skill and have suffered as a result. In a recent interview with Sherdog.com, Askren discussed the importance of developing one’s secondary skills:

“Jon Fitch wasn’t a great college wrestler by any means, and he has made it far in mixed martial arts. At some point, he had to leave his comfort zone to get to where he is. I watch a guy like Jake Rosholt; he was a three-time NCAA champion. In his losses in the UFC, he tapped so fast. Honestly, if you put me in a triangle, I’m going to fight you for a minute -- minimum. He looked very uncomfortable still in the standup. Then he got [Matt Horwich] to the ground but didn’t get on top of him. He’s a wrestler, but he doesn’t look comfortable standing and doesn’t look comfortable on the ground. What is he comfortable with? I think you see wrestlers stuck in that box, but it’s not just wrestlers; it’s everyone. You see jiu-jitsu guys who just want to grapple and you see boxers who just want to box.”

Askren will defend his Bellator crown against former International Fight League champion Jay Hieron at Bellator 56 on Saturday in Kansas City, Kan.

Greg Savage and Jeff Sherwood returned to The Sherdog Radio Network Monday for another edition of "The Savage Dog Show." Joining them were MMA fighters Ian McCall and Jay Hieron.

Ian McCall looked stellar Friday night in Lemoore, California at The Tachi Palace. "Uncle Creepy" joined the show Monday to talk about his unanimous decision victory of Tennessee's Dustin Ortiz.

Saturday night Jay Hieron defeated Rick Hawn in the finals of Bellator's welterweight tournament. Though the fan's opinion of the bout vary as to who won the fight, Hieron claims to be surprised at the decision going his way was split. The Xtreme Couture product talks about the victory and his upcoming title shot with Ben Askren.

Check out the show and our archives by clicking here.

Ben Askren (Pictured), on “Beatdown,” discussing his strategy for transitioning to MMA:

“I know I can take anyone in mixed martial arts down, period. I can pretty much take down anyone in the world. I might not be able to beat anyone in the world, especially in freestyle wrestling. In folkstyle, I really honestly think that I could probably beat anyone in the world in the sport of folkstyle wrestling. So when I got in the sport of mixed martial arts, I knew for a fact that I’d be able to take anyone down that I want. So after that, my next point of emphasis is jiu-jitsu. If I can take anyone down and no one can submit me, then already at that point, I’m a very, very difficult person to beat. I got some black belts and I said, ‘Come on. Submit me as many times as you can, and I’m going to figure out how to get out of it.’ Right away I’m a tough person to beat because I’ve got good cardio. I’m not going to quit. I’m going to take you down, and you can’t submit me. … Now I’m starting to work on my hands just in case there’s someone who I do prefer to stand up with.”

Live radio returned to The Sherdog Radio Network Monday with a brand new episode of "Beatdown." Lutfi Sariahmed was live for two hours. Joining him were MMA fighters Gegard Mousasi and Ben Askren.

Ben Askren returns to the Bellator cage this Saturday night in a non-title affair. "Funky" will be facing former bodogFIGHT welterweight champion Nick Thompson. Askren chats with Sariahmed about the upcoming fight.

Also on Saturday night former Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi will face UFC veteran Keith Jardine in San Diego, California. Mousasi chats about the fight and how Jardine being a late replacement has effected his preparation for the contest.

Check out the show and our archives by clicking here.