Ben Askren (top) vs. Dan Hornbuckle: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com
One of the best collegiate wrestlers of the past decade took a big step toward MMA notoriety on June 17, as two-time NCAA champion Ben Askren hit five takedowns and controlled Dan Hornbuckle over three rounds to take the Bellator Fighting Championships Season 2 welterweight tournament.
Askren -- who has the third-highest pin total in Div. I wrestling history -- took home the $100,000 prize, improved his MMA record to 6-0 and earned a shot at Bellator champion Lyman Good later this year.
With the win in Kansas City, Mo., Askren joins lightweight Pat Curran as Bellator Season 2 tournament winners. The featherweight (Joe Warren vs. Patricio “Pitbull” Freire) and middleweight (Bryan Baker vs. Alexander Shlemenko) finals take place June 24 in Louisville, Ky., at the final event of the promotion’s second season.