Tyron Woodley says teammate Ben Askren ‘definitely’ would have been UFC champ

Tyron Woodley has high praise for former ONE FC and Bellator welterweight champ Ben Askren.

According to to UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, longtime teammate and friend Ben Askren, who used to rule the ONE FC and Bellator welterweight division, had all the makings of a UFC champ.

Despite being undefeated and winning titles in multiple promotions, 33-year-old Askren has never signed with MMA’s premiere promotion but has recently called out pound-for-pound great Georges St-Pierre, who vacated the UFC middleweight title last week due to ulcerative colitis.

Woodley, who trains with Askren at Roufusport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, doesn’t believe the UFC’s elite stood a chance against ‘Funky’ during his prime.

“Ben is a hard match-up for a lot of guys,” Woodley told MMA Fighting at a recent media scrum. “He don’t get the credit he deserves, especially when he was at the top. Carlos Condit, he wouldn’t have had a chance against him. I don’t think Georges would have beat him. All the guys that just so happened to be at the top, he is a nightmare match-up for all of them. He gives me hell on earth every single time I train with him and is just one of the must underrated fighters and one of the most creative minds when it comes down to fighting.”

“He definitely would have been a world champion.”

Despite calling out GSP, Askren retired after his third ONE FC welterweight title defense against Shinya Aoki last month. The former NCAA Division I wrestler finished Aoki with strikes in the first round.