Here are the timestamps. Please check out our sponsors to support this podcast. 0:00 - Introduction & sponsor mentions: - Notion: notion.com/startups to get up to $1000 off team plan - NI: www.ni.com/perspectives - Onnit: lexfridman.com/onnit to get up to 10% off - Eight Sleep: www.eightsleep.com/lex and use code LEX to get special savings - NetSuite: netsuite.com/lex to get free product tour 1:06 - Woodley vs Jake Paul boxing match 4:56 - Askren vs Jake Paul boxing match 7:30 - Jordan Burroughs and Kyle Dake 18:44 - Askren vs Burroughs charity match 23:28 - Champion mentality and handling losses 37:47 - Future interest in competition 47:17 - Askren's early career 58:05 - Robots wrestling 1:12:46 - Olympics 1:18:53 - Dagestan wrestling 1:24:58 - Askren Wrestling Academy 1:40:39 - Khabib Nurmagomedov 1:47:16 - 2020 Olympics 1:48:56 - Wrestling dominance in MMA
Lex, I Really loved this interview. It was lovey and playful yet deep. Lex your reaching that “ crosshair “ between keeping it fun while bringing the interviewee out of their bubble and get them to be that person you’ve known for years. I imagine that’s a real dance that’s unique to each person. Last, I think I saw a real loving altruistic man in Ben when he discussed coaching motivations around the 48:00 minute. Thanks , Leon
Askren is so fun to listen. The guy is both knowledgeable and entertaining, as well as a world class wrestler/MMA fighter. Sheer amount of details he's dropping in all aspects is just incredible.
World class? That is like taking the best team from a feeder league and saying they would dominate any NBA team. Oof. Best was good OUTSIDE of the UFC. How did he do when he joined the big leagues?
@@eriklarson9137 How isn't he world class ? He competed on an international stage in wrestling including the Olympics. He is one of the greatest college and folkstyle wrestlers of all time and in MMA he was ranked top 10 and beat some high level fighters like Aoki, Lima, Lawler and Koreshkov. The UFC isn't the be all to end all. How many former Strikeforce / Bellator fighters ended up becoming champ or top tier fighters ? Stop being a UFC shill.
@@koneking2569 world class wrestler not MMA fighter. He was an elite MMA fighter but nowhere near world clas but also depends what you define world class as
Went to a Missouri Wrestling camp in Millidgeville, Georgia years ago when Ben was still in college. It was an awesome week, the college wrestlers acted as our coaches and team leaders.1st realization of how good college wrestlers are. Meeting coach Smith was awesome and became a fan of Missouri wrestling since then.
Lex, your podcast is fast becoming my favorite of all. Your calm demeanor, well researched and interesting questions, guest diversity, and the fact that you allow your guests to speak freely whilst being a great conversationalist yourself, all add up to this fact for me. Thank you, and keep up the tremendous work.
Got to play a round of disc golf with askren and he’s such a humble nice guy… he was also in ballator when I meet him didn’t know his career was only starting
U certainly did not need this. And I just got into lex’s videos, now that I see him let this idiot get another 15 mins of fame, out of principle, I can’t watch anything else he ever does.
1:18:50 Too bad Askren lost the previous match in 2008 Olympics and never got to wrestle Busaivar Saitiev. Both were incredible mat wrestlers, so it would've been a blast to see them going at it.
I know things in the UFC didn't go great for Ben Askren as far as performances go, but I have grown to really like and respect the guy. He knows how to sell a fight, how to promote himself and how to take a loss. So many people would go into hiding, but not this man, he was online talking about it and owning it the very next day. Just because he lost a fist fight does not discredit him as a great wrestler, public speaker, content creator, interviewer, and entrepreneur. Seriously, if there were more people like him, their would be so much less crying and complaining in the world. People that have mastered something actually know how to take criticism and get better from defeat. He is good at it because he has been great at other things. I really appreciate what he has done for the sport and the overall community.
Ben askren is truly a anomaly. Undefeated for 10 years, finally makes the move to the ufc after his prime then “beats” Robbie lawler In that fashion. Gets knocked out in one of the biggest kos in mma history then ends it all by getting sparked by Jake fuckin Paul.
He went 0-3 in the UFC. It was Ben's choice to dodge the UFC. If he WANTED to be in the UFC during his prime he would have been. Period. He always knew where his skill level was at. :)
Huge fan of Ben! Nobody brings up his incredible fight with Demian Maia, which was beautiful grappling in an MMA environment. I'll always be a fan of The Funky One👊
They should have talked about that one. They were going over his losses, and I really wanted to hear his perspective on that one, which would have been much more interesting to talk about than the ole "I got kneed in the face" loss by masvidal.
37:05 Actually when Askren signed up with One FC, Robbie Lawler was the UFC welterweight champion. And as a matter of fact, Askren did beat Lawler later when he signed up with UFC. So in a way he kinda proved that he would've been the world champion back in 2013, had Dana White signed him up with the UFC.
Thats some crazy MMA math. Ben is too small for welterweight in the UFC. Its also laughable that he would of beaten Khabib. Askren was probably the biggest dissapointing prospect in MMA since Sokoudjou or Gomi.
The attitude era is overrated mostly by fans born after 1970 the terriotory days is what wrestling needs to be & I don't think it's possible Vince & other wrestling people blew it
I feel like Lex and Ben's conversation about drilling vs. controlled sparring is the exact approach to BJJ Priit Mikhelson advocates, and I think he would make an excellent podcast guest.
It almost sounds like Ben is advocating the equivalent of flow rolling and Lex has a karate approach to repitition of technique when it comes to drilling.
I have such a tremendous degree of appreciation for Ben Askren. I’m excited to listen his conversation with another human I hold in extremely high regard. Thank you Lex.
Ben is great to listen to and so real. The fact that Lex doubts that Bens drilled several moves hundreds of thousands of times is interesting, I don’t think he fully understands the level of wrestling Bens progressed through.
I don’t think Ben would beat Khabib but it’s true that Ben would definitely have grappled with Khabib had they ever fought. Ben was the only one to actively engage Maia on the ground.
I wish they talked about the Maia fight. It's weird how they completely skipped over that one while talking about his career, especially considering it was a grapplers wet dream match.
Have we just met the first guy smarter than Lex? This was the conversation I never knew I wanted. Ben is even more fascinating than I thought, more likable too, n I liked him before. .
I personally think that Lex unlike so many other popular podcasters podcast interviewer(s) host(whatever you wanna call him/them/they/therr/zim), is active in listening to his constructive critics not his haters but critics - big difference. He's less scripted and more free-flowing in his interviewing style(currently); which in my in-experience makes the interview/conversation much easier and more entertaining listening to..
lex couldnt be more on on point about the meditative aspect of drilling, i especially notice this in golf. breaking down, slowing down and isolating creates a higher level of feel, flow and synchronisation
Did they mention Lex interviewed John Smith? I looked and couldn't find anything. If not that would be an unbelievable interview. Give the people what they want!!!!
Back in high school I attended a wrestling camp at UW-Madison that Ben was featured coach at. Ben was in the papers all the time between high school and college, dude was a legend locally and statewide for his patented "funky" style, and his brother Max is a savage on the mat, too. Crazy to have seen him reach such heights only to float down to obscurity.
Lex you said at 1:36:00 you said basic drill does not have diminishing returns, and in the very next sentence say that everything has diminishing returns lol
Ben Askren is so interesting, hey Lex if u could get someone who talks about soccer (football) and how to learn that I know u guys talk about drilling and I’m trying to bring that to my soccer trainings but I’m not to sure how to thanks
This guy’s personality, lack of ego and fight philosophy reminds me of Goku in DBZ: He’s more excited about the prospect of fighting the best fighters than he is of actually winning. Lol, so likeable
This is super funny I love both these guys. But imagine trying to explain to a grappler that could smoke you and everyone you know that your, theoretical model of learning his skill is superior. There are times when we're out of our depth and it's good to admit those times especially when you're sitting across from a master. Imagine if ben spent 30 minutes telling lex about how he should program computers because he dabbles in it.
Cool to have someone I know on the Podcasts. Loved the Jordan Ellenberg as well, the other person I know thats been on the Podcast. Yeah I remember talking to Max about learning Russian when he was Redshirting at Mizzou
As you can tell by my username, Im a Jake Paul fan, but we love you Ben. I loved seeing you get in there. Edit - I love wrestling. Please do the Askren challenge.
Here are the timestamps. Please check out our sponsors to support this podcast.
0:00 - Introduction & sponsor mentions:
- Notion: notion.com/startups to get up to $1000 off team plan
- NI: www.ni.com/perspectives
- Onnit: lexfridman.com/onnit to get up to 10% off
- Eight Sleep: www.eightsleep.com/lex and use code LEX to get special savings
- NetSuite: netsuite.com/lex to get free product tour
1:06 - Woodley vs Jake Paul boxing match
4:56 - Askren vs Jake Paul boxing match
7:30 - Jordan Burroughs and Kyle Dake
18:44 - Askren vs Burroughs charity match
23:28 - Champion mentality and handling losses
37:47 - Future interest in competition
47:17 - Askren's early career
58:05 - Robots wrestling
1:12:46 - Olympics
1:18:53 - Dagestan wrestling
1:24:58 - Askren Wrestling Academy
1:40:39 - Khabib Nurmagomedov
1:47:16 - 2020 Olympics
1:48:56 - Wrestling dominance in MMA
@@benjaminkell3726 "This channel has no videos".
Lex, I Really loved this interview. It was lovey and playful yet deep. Lex your reaching that “ crosshair “ between keeping it fun while bringing the interviewee out of their bubble and get them to be that person you’ve known for years. I imagine that’s a real dance that’s unique to each person. Last, I think I saw a real loving altruistic man in Ben when he discussed coaching motivations around the 48:00 minute. Thanks , Leon
I love and need more high level mma and grapplers on you podcast.
🤘🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤣🤣🤣🤘🤘
🤘🤘🤘🤘🏿🤣🤣🤘🏿🤘🏿🤣🤣🤘🏿🤣🤘🏿🤘🏿🤘🏿
Props for starting out with the questions most people want to get those out of the way
Askren is so fun to listen. The guy is both knowledgeable and entertaining, as well as a world class wrestler/MMA fighter. Sheer amount of details he's dropping in all aspects is just incredible.
World class? That is like taking the best team from a feeder league and saying they would dominate any NBA team. Oof. Best was good OUTSIDE of the UFC. How did he do when he joined the big leagues?
@@eriklarson9137 How isn't he world class ? He competed on an international stage in wrestling including the Olympics. He is one of the greatest college and folkstyle wrestlers of all time and in MMA he was ranked top 10 and beat some high level fighters like Aoki, Lima, Lawler and Koreshkov. The UFC isn't the be all to end all. How many former Strikeforce / Bellator fighters ended up becoming champ or top tier fighters ? Stop being a UFC shill.
@@koneking2569 world class wrestler not MMA fighter. He was an elite MMA fighter but nowhere near world clas but also depends what you define world class as
@@koneking2569 Plus he came to the UFC at the end of his prime/career. Ben in his prime would have done very well against the top guys at 170.
@@eriklarson9137 lmao fuckin casual. He literally manhandled Dauglas Lima, how is that not world class?
Ben is such a good dude. His attitude about inspiring kids among other things is admirable. Great interview.
No way!! The crossover I never expected. Huge fans of you both.
Thanks Lex, we really kneeded this.
Oooh, now that’s a low blow.
Never have I seen a comment so uncalled for and underrated at the same time
Big Askren fan. This is perfect.
Wow 😂
Bravo
This man looks like a Greek statue from his profile.
@@Jay-407 Lol
He’s got the wiener of one too lol.
(That’s a joke, Ben’s definitely packing heat hahaha).
💯
@@АндрейТитов-г4м if he had like a Frank Zane physique he would literally be a greek statue
Went to a Missouri Wrestling camp in Millidgeville, Georgia years ago when Ben was still in college. It was an awesome week, the college wrestlers acted as our coaches and team leaders.1st realization of how good college wrestlers are. Meeting coach Smith was awesome and became a fan of Missouri wrestling since then.
@Valzac Entertainment that was a lighting in a bottle moment in retrospect Ben has accomplished much more then masvidal
Bro brought up the knee in the intro. Legend
Fabio Mabobabo
Lex Fridman: 👽
Ben Askren: 🗿
😹
That is Charlie Olives, you rube.
Lex, your podcast is fast becoming my favorite of all.
Your calm demeanor, well researched and interesting questions, guest diversity, and the fact that you allow your guests to speak freely whilst being a great conversationalist yourself, all add up to this fact for me.
Thank you, and keep up the tremendous work.
Got to play a round of disc golf with askren and he’s such a humble nice guy… he was also in ballator when I meet him didn’t know his career was only starting
This is the crossover that I absolutely needed.
U certainly did not need this. And I just got into lex’s videos, now that I see him let this idiot get another 15 mins of fame, out of principle, I can’t watch anything else he ever does.
It's fantastic!!!!
@@tdog1983-v6c geez, life must be terrible for you..
You've ben askren for it, right?
Same.
Ben sounds like a solid guy, a passionate teacher, and someone that knows what it’s all about. Respect.
The thing he said about the desire of finding kids no ones believe in them and be the one who does... you have all my respect Ben Askren.
1:18:50 Too bad Askren lost the previous match in 2008 Olympics and never got to wrestle Busaivar Saitiev. Both were incredible mat wrestlers, so it would've been a blast to see them going at it.
I know things in the UFC didn't go great for Ben Askren as far as performances go, but I have grown to really like and respect the guy. He knows how to sell a fight, how to promote himself and how to take a loss. So many people would go into hiding, but not this man, he was online talking about it and owning it the very next day. Just because he lost a fist fight does not discredit him as a great wrestler, public speaker, content creator, interviewer, and entrepreneur. Seriously, if there were more people like him, their would be so much less crying and complaining in the world. People that have mastered something actually know how to take criticism and get better from defeat. He is good at it because he has been great at other things. I really appreciate what he has done for the sport and the overall community.
He has such a unique profile^^ the thumbnail captures it perfectly:)
especially surprising with how many punches he's taken
That was a knee from Masvidal.
@@AJ-pc9gu right, that pointy little nose looks so fragile^^ just proves how much of beast he was in the cage!
Ben askren is truly a anomaly. Undefeated for 10 years, finally makes the move to the ufc after his prime then “beats” Robbie lawler In that fashion. Gets knocked out in one of the biggest kos in mma history then ends it all by getting sparked by Jake fuckin Paul.
Also got choked out by Demian Maia
You forgot, lost every second in the ground against a 42 yo Maia.
@@sk8erKing678 @Somdut Roy sure he did, after his prime. If ufc signed him after he left Bellator, Askren would have made a run.
He went 0-3 in the UFC. It was Ben's choice to dodge the UFC. If he WANTED to be in the UFC during his prime he would have been. Period. He always knew where his skill level was at. :)
@@eriklarson9137 in his prime he woulda been a top 15 guy
I like Ben he's a cool dude
Huge fan of Ben! Nobody brings up his incredible fight with Demian Maia, which was beautiful grappling in an MMA environment. I'll always be a fan of The Funky One👊
They should have talked about that one. They were going over his losses, and I really wanted to hear his perspective on that one, which would have been much more interesting to talk about than the ole "I got kneed in the face" loss by masvidal.
37:05 Actually when Askren signed up with One FC, Robbie Lawler was the UFC welterweight champion.
And as a matter of fact, Askren did beat Lawler later when he signed up with UFC. So in a way he kinda proved that he would've been the world champion back in 2013, had Dana White signed him up with the UFC.
Thats some crazy MMA math. Ben is too small for welterweight in the UFC. Its also laughable that he would of beaten Khabib. Askren was probably the biggest dissapointing prospect in MMA since Sokoudjou or Gomi.
Make wrestling great again (we need a return of the Attitude Era more than ever now)!
The attitude era is overrated mostly by fans born after 1970 the terriotory days is what wrestling needs to be & I don't think it's possible
Vince & other wrestling people blew it
@@lukecockburn1140 Not at all. Coinciding with the golden age of Playstation, it was a glorious time
lol the crossover I didn't know I needed, but boy Im excited to watch this. Thanks for making this a thing, Lex.
This is one of Lex’s best jobs in doing an interview and drawing out a person’s responses.
Ben's a genuine good guy, teachers young kids about becoming good people too.
I like Ben he wasn't appreciated enough in the ufc
He wasn't, but he made his money, that's all that counts. Good for him.
Great interview Lex, and many thanks to Ben Askren.
Ben's side profile is literally the "yes" meme.
one of the best Lex Fridman podcasts of all time
I've yet to hear Ben talk about is final fight with Mia. I really would like to hear him reflect on the very different strategy he chose use.
Same. That Maia fight was the most interesting in his MMA career
I feel like Lex and Ben's conversation about drilling vs. controlled sparring is the exact approach to BJJ Priit Mikhelson advocates, and I think he would make an excellent podcast guest.
It almost sounds like Ben is advocating the equivalent of flow rolling and Lex has a karate approach to repitition of technique when it comes to drilling.
@@Patrick-sheen sounded to me like ben was talking about positional sparring
@@scotttoccs03 yep true
Such a great conversation, thank you for sharing!
Lex you are my favorite podcast to listen to and just want to say thank you for the time and effort you put into creating great content.
Askren looks like Michaelangelo's David sculpture. Just a true competitor.
It is much better when Lex engages in the conversation... gets much better flow
Here’s a guy who gets the game of it All. Thanks Lex.
1:18:50 I wish Lex would've just directly asked if Askren thinks he could've beat Busaivar Saitiev in 2008 Olympics?
I DIDN‘T KNEW THIS WAS A POSSIBILITY BUT WOW I LOVE IT!!
Bens drilling arguments are SOLID he been coaching developing so many grapplers over his life
Ben Askren. I always get a sense of authenticity from Ben. Could listen to him for quite a while i bet.
I have such a tremendous degree of appreciation for Ben Askren. I’m excited to listen his conversation with another human I hold in extremely high regard.
Thank you Lex.
Lex is becoming one of the best podcasters around!
I have a rule when it comes to fisticuffs. Don’t pick a fight with anyone that had cauliflower ear.
Had it or has
Or missing
Ben is great to listen to and so real. The fact that Lex doubts that Bens drilled several moves hundreds of thousands of times is interesting, I don’t think he fully understands the level of wrestling Bens progressed through.
Great conversation. Really wish we'd got to see Usman vs Askren. Would have been a fascinating stylistic match up
Didn't expect this, but glad it came!
This thumbnail is perfect
What a good exposure to Ben...Mans got some serious talk and takes! Good on Him!!!
people clown on askren but i respect his passion, levelheadedness in the face of critique and insults, and overall articulation of his thoughts.
I don’t think Ben would beat Khabib but it’s true that Ben would definitely have grappled with Khabib had they ever fought. Ben was the only one to actively engage Maia on the ground.
I wish they talked about the Maia fight. It's weird how they completely skipped over that one while talking about his career, especially considering it was a grapplers wet dream match.
Khabib would win on the feet. But he would never wrestle askren down or keep him down lol
1:12:47 God knows how long I was searching for Yazdani vs Taylor at the 2020 Olympic finals, but to no avail. Absolute robbery.
This interview was super necessary.
Yooo this is gonna be great.
The guest we've all ben asrken for
Wow! Really excited for this one definitely never seen it coming
Ben askren has a Amazin. Personality
Have we just met the first guy smarter than Lex? This was the conversation I never knew I wanted.
Ben is even more fascinating than I thought, more likable too, n I liked him before. .
I personally think that Lex unlike so many other popular podcasters podcast interviewer(s) host(whatever you wanna call him/them/they/therr/zim), is active in listening to his constructive critics not his haters but critics - big difference. He's less scripted and more free-flowing in his interviewing style(currently); which in my in-experience makes the interview/conversation much easier and more entertaining listening to..
lex couldnt be more on on point about the meditative aspect of drilling, i especially notice this in golf. breaking down, slowing down and isolating creates a higher level of feel, flow and synchronisation
Did they mention Lex interviewed John Smith? I looked and couldn't find anything. If not that would be an unbelievable interview. Give the people what they want!!!!
First impression as I look at him: Greek chad in the house
Back in high school I attended a wrestling camp at UW-Madison that Ben was featured coach at. Ben was in the papers all the time between high school and college, dude was a legend locally and statewide for his patented "funky" style, and his brother Max is a savage on the mat, too. Crazy to have seen him reach such heights only to float down to obscurity.
Hes lowkey intelligent
To offset the negative comments. I enjoy your martial arts podcasts.
Lex you said at 1:36:00 you said basic drill does not have diminishing returns, and in the very next sentence say that everything has diminishing returns lol
Lex, thank you so much for the wrestling content!!
Always loved Ben, sad he had short career in UFC.
Dang, Ben is awesome.
I love how his face resembles Alexander the great.
Ben !!!! What’s up man….Happy thanksgiving to you and yours..hope you had a good day..Go Pack Go !!!
Ben Askren is so interesting, hey Lex if u could get someone who talks about soccer (football) and how to learn that I know u guys talk about drilling and I’m trying to bring that to my soccer trainings but I’m not to sure how to thanks
Amazing podcast thank you
Just so good again. My fav thing was the Matt Matrione thing of compete at all costs. Truly a growth mindset.
Such a good episode Ben is a great guy
You get the best out of people, Lex. Your guiding questions. Lead by questioning. Who else ever did that?
This guy’s personality, lack of ego and fight philosophy reminds me of Goku in DBZ: He’s more excited about the prospect of fighting the best fighters than he is of actually winning. Lol, so likeable
Amazing! Thanks for having Funky on
Ben, is an absolute stud.
Another one I'll watch in one go
Lex can you please get more people on like Sean Kelly I rate that, I listen to it over and over feel like it helps me on my spiritual journey.
Tony Ferguson the kind of guy to show up on a photo when someone else is mentioned.
Ben said Anthony was at his gym. He was talking about Tony. That’s why they put it up
@@user-kb7do4wn8q No, Anthony as in Anthony Pettis (who trains at Rufus Sport)
For intro I think the Hodge awards should be mentioned. And probably his incredible dominance with his college pin rate.
I’m here for this
Askren's biggest contribution to MMA: Introducing USADA to Dana White. :D
Oh man. Lex's face and that little smirk when Ben is talking about people not being able to pin him.
This is super funny I love both these guys. But imagine trying to explain to a grappler that could smoke you and everyone you know that your, theoretical model of learning his skill is superior. There are times when we're out of our depth and it's good to admit those times especially when you're sitting across from a master. Imagine if ben spent 30 minutes telling lex about how he should program computers because he dabbles in it.
weird moment from lex there
Lex is a blackbelt in BJJ, surely his opinion is worth something?
@@TheMasterBM Probably to the general public, probably worth a lot less to ben or compared to bens advice.
Cool to have someone I know on the Podcasts. Loved the Jordan Ellenberg as well, the other person I know thats been on the Podcast.
Yeah I remember talking to Max about learning Russian when he was Redshirting at Mizzou
Crazy thing is if Ben hadn’t lost from that flying knee he’d probably still be up there in the ranks
As you can tell by my username, Im a Jake Paul fan, but we love you Ben. I loved seeing you get in there.
Edit - I love wrestling. Please do the Askren challenge.
That chin is a work of art.
Ben askren would be a hell of a mma grappling coach
Best one yet Lex, really loved this one!
Great interview. Thank you 🙏
Lex is fantastic at this craft. Big fan of Funky too.
Great podcast! One of my favorite fighters!
@38:00 - love this idea!
Love ben askren. He is a great person. I've never seen him in a bad light.
Excited to listen to this one
The Askren Challenge sounds entertaining as hell 😂
41:50 Ben is 100% right about the EBI ruleset
Great podcast as always Lex!