Ben Askren Only Working With Maycee Barber After Retirement

Former Bellator MMA/One Championship Welterweight Champion Ben Askren recently announced his retirement from professional MMA competition. 

The former fighter doesn’t plan on coaching at Roufusport after retirement, as he only wants to work with Maycee Barber.

“I’m not coaching at Roufus – I’m only coaching Maycee [Barber],” Askren said to MMA Fighting. “I will not be coaching MMA.”

Barber is currently 8-0-0 as a professional MMA fighter (3-0-0 UFC) and is ranked #9 in the UFC Women’s Flyweight Division.

Although Askren has fun working with Barber, one thing the retired fighter admits is that he had to be talked into continuing helping her.

“With Maycee, I’m coaching wrestling, and I do have a great perspective on how the wrestling ties into everything else, because I had to do everything else myself,” Askren said. “Some of these wrestling coaches haven’t fought a day in their lives, so they don’t know how wrestling ties into everything else. I actually had to go out there and do it. As far as Maycee’s case, I didn’t ever think I was going to be coaching fighting. I didn’t think that was in the cards. They talked me into it, so I am. She’s a lot of fun to work with.”

A surging Barber is back in action at UFC 246, facing Roxanne Modafferi in a women’s flyweight division attraction.