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Ben Askren refuses to play ‘what if’ game with his UFC career, details year-long recovery from upcoming hip surgery

Ben Askren isn’t interested in hypotheticals when it comes to his UFC career.

The 19-2 welterweight, who just recently announced his retirement from mixed martial arts, appreciates the kind words from his longtime head coach Duke Roufus who said if Askren had gotten to the UFC a few years earlier, he would have been champion.

Instead, the 2008 Olympian went 1-2 in a brief stint inside the Octagon after he was part of a historic, first of its kind trade that sent him from ONE Championship to the UFC in exchange for Demetrious Johnson.