KO's can't take shine off Askren's storied fighting career

Ben Askren's dominant fighting career may have come to an inauspicious end with two embarrassing knockouts but the former UFC welterweight has few regrets after rising through the wrestling ranks to become a global star.

An unbeaten champion with the Bellator and ONE promotions, Askren finally achieved his goal of fighting in the UFC, but he was on the wrong end of a highlight reel knockout by Jorge Masvidal that fight fans love to remind him of.

After retiring from cage-fighting, he took on YouTuber Jake Paul in a boxing match and again was knocked out in embarrassing fashion, but his wrestling background and one of the biggest paydays of his life made the loss a little easier to accept.

"I think if I had been like a golden child who had dealt with no struggle, then losing at the end of my MMA career would have been really devastating," he told Reuters in an interview in conjunction with the launch of his autobiography "Funky".

"But I came from a background where I struggled a lot in the beginning. I struggled and, honestly, a big part of me getting to where I got to was I just love to compete, I love to put it on the line."

Describing himself in the book as average until his late teens, Askren developed an unorthodox wrestling style which, together with his unruly mop of curls, led to the "Funky" nickname and he went on to win two NCAA championships and two Dan Hodge trophies as America's best collegiate wrestler.

He transitioned to MMA, winning his first three professional fights before joining the Bellator promotion where he went on to become welterweight champion.

A move to the UFC never materialised so Askren joined Asia's ONE promotion where he also claimed the welterweight belt, amassing an unbeaten 18-0 record with one