“If You Have Some Guts…”: Ex-UFC Star Calls Out NCAA Wrestler Over Repeated “Malicious” Wrestling Violations

Combat sports always come with a heavy set of rules to follow to ensure that what unfolds is sports and not combat. The sport of wrestling also comes riddled with certain rules, outside of which any maneuver or action is considered illegal. While there are several instances of wrestlers playing dirty, its most recent example has emerged in the form of an NCAA wrestler.

American ex-UFC fighter Ben ‘Funky’ Askren has taken a very strong stance against this behavior. A social media post showcases the former 2x NCAA Wrestling Champion getting angry over the intentional foul play by the wrestler. In fact, he also called out the head coach of his Wrestling Team.

Ben Askren takes major shots at Northern Colorado Wrestler

A tweet on X showcased a video of Ben Askren at a FloWrestling podcast episode. Speaking about the Northern Colorado Wrestler Baylor Fernandes, Askren said, “I watched Baylor Fernandes in Northern Colorado try to snap off. First, it was Tanner Cook. But then he did it to someone else. This is unacceptable behavior.” 

While addressing the unruly NCAA wrestler, Askren also spoke to the Northern Colorado Wrestling HC. He said, “Troy Nickerson if you have some guts, and I don’t know you, feel free to text me… you need to tell this dude, that if he does that again, he’s off the team. That needs to happen. I mean, I will hold you responsible for not getting this kid’s behavior in line.”

This is not the first time Fernandes has tried to play dirty in an NCAA wrestling bout. Last year, on 27th January 2023, he committed a violation against another wrestler. A video of the same was also shown to the audience by the FloWrestling podcast. Most importantly, Askren reminded everyone about the difference between MMA and wrestling and why those differences matter.

2x NCAA Wrestling Champ points at a harsh reality

Ben Askren noted, “In MMA, the whole point is to try to injure the person to the point where they cannot compete with you anymore. The whole goal of mixed martial arts is you concuss them or snap something, or choke them so they can no longer battle you.” However, he also noted that this isn’t something wrestling identifies with. In fact, it is already quite risky even without these elements.

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Askren further added, “Injuries happen, but to actually be malicious in your intent to injure someone on an illegal move? You can’t even make a small argument that you can score points in this, but there is no points for this move! You can’t make that argument, ‘I was trying to get a takedown’, no you weren’t! You were trying to injure him cuz you’re a baby and you have a bad temper!” While Askren only spoke about Fernandes and his coach, do you think the NCAA should get more strict about illegal moves in wrestling?

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