Ben Askren: US Olympian, Former Bellator and ONE Welterweight Champion, UFC Fighter, Author of Funky

Team Never Quit

Marcus Luttrell

Personal Journals, Society & Culture, Education, Health & Fitness, Mental Health, Self-improvement

4.9 • 6K Ratings

🗓️ 21 December 2022

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Collegiate wrestling record holder, Team USA Olympian, professional mixed martial artist, and UFC championship fighter. That’s Marcus’ guest – Ben Askren - on this week’s Team Never Quit Podcast. Marcus and Ben discuss how his unorthodox style earned him the nickname “Funky”, as he puts his opponents in scramble situations. Ben credits his dad for introducing him to the sport, and he really got serious when he joined a wrestling club in 6th grade. The combination of natural talent and a relentless workout regimen made him one of the most successful athletes in collegiate history, setting several records, as well as experiencing great success as an MMA fighter as well.

In this episode you will hear:

I get to work with kids who want to work really hard. They come in the gym and bust their ass.
I hated team sports because I really wanted to win and others on my team didn’t share that sentiment.
In wrestling, it was just me and the other person. I could always determine my destiny.
We don’t want to force kids. We want them to love the sport and know what it’s gonna take to be special. We want to put great coaches in front of kids to give them a good opportunity to succeed in wrestling.
There are kids that don’t have a strong role model, so I have such an important role to play.
Great things take a long time.
The Olympics suck because once you lose, you don’t get another shot for 4 years.
Having a high-level background in something is important. You need to find a compliment.
Who can impose their will more significantly, is important when skill levels are equivalent.
Innovation – learning how to scramble. What I was doing was not working. I had to think outside myself for other options.
I wasn’t having the success I wanted, so it was like “Shit, how can I do this?”

Transcript

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0:00.0	The Team Never Quit podcast is sponsored by Navy Federal Credit Union.
0:03.6	When you use the Navy Federal Cash Rewards card, you can earn up to 1.75% cash back on all purchases.
0:09.3	Learn more at navyfederal.org.
0:12.0	I'm your host, Marcus Mattrell. Every week it's my job to fire you up to ignite the legend inside of you and to push you to your greatness.
0:36.4	Join me every week and I take you into my briefing room with some of the most
0:39.7	our charging people on the planet. They're going to show you how to embrace the stuck of life,
0:44.3	teach you the values of working your ass off and charge through whatever life throws at you.
0:48.7	This is the Team Never Quit podcast.
0:51.9	Don't buckle up, buttercup.
1:00.8	What's going on guys? Welcome back to another episode of the Team Never Quit podcast.
1:05.0	It's a beautiful day, it's almost Christmas. I wish the temperature was matching the time of year.
1:10.8	That's the only problem. I don't know what the temperature is up there been,
1:13.0	but down here today it's like in the 80s.
1:15.6	Mm-hmm.
1:16.8	Which is... Aren't you guys in Austin?
1:18.8	Houston. Houston.
1:20.0	I was just in Austin actually like two weeks ago and it was not nice weather.
1:24.3	No.
1:25.1	It changed. It's terrible.
1:27.2	Yeah, it changed it's quick.
1:29.2	That's another Texas rule.
1:30.7	If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes. It's a central change, man.
	...

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