Ben Askren Disapproves of Charles Oliveira's BMF Title Victory Strategy

Despite his own illustrious career in wrestling, Ben Askren was far from impressed with Charles Oliveira's dominant grappling display during his BMF title encounter against Max Holloway at UFC 326. The former collegiate standout expressed his opinion, labeling the performance as "terribly boring."

'Funky' Ben Askren carved out an exceptional legacy as a collegiate wrestler for the Missouri Tigers, boasting a remarkable 155-8 record and clinching two NCAA Division I championships. His relentless style, technical prowess, and consistent success firmly establish him among the pantheon of top NCAA wrestlers. Given his profound understanding of the sport, one might assume Askren would praise Oliveira's grappling-centric approach. However, Askren has instead joined the growing number of voices criticizing Oliveira's strategy.

"This is going to be wild coming from me. Real wild," Askren stated, acknowledging the irony of his stance. He went on to propose radical alterations for BMF title bouts. "What if they did a three-takedown maximum on BMF title fights? Three takedown maximum, or you only get a minute on top to this effect... No, [I didn't like the fight]; it was boring. Terribly boring."

Askren further elaborated on his disappointment, noting that for a BMF fight, the approach felt out of place. He likened it to the Khamzat Chimaev fight, observing that Oliveira "didn't take chances on top. He wasn't really aggressive with it," despite his positional advantage.

Questioning Oliveira's consistent preference for takedowns, even when he appeared to be gaining an edge in striking, Askren offered a compelling theory. "He was winning the striking," Askren conceded, "But was he? This is why I did okay in striking in MMA: Was he winning the striking because the other guy was scared of the takedown? Like, that's definitely a possibility because Max Holloway had zero ability to get up... [spending] extensive time on bottom. It was something crazy."