Ben Askren wants in on EBI

[Aiseop]

TWEET:
https://twitter.com/Benaskren/status/632910633281921024

Here he is rolling with Marcelo.

[Joshua Jarboe]

Fun! Thanks for sharing.

What do you make of this news Aiseop?

[Aiseop]

Love it! Get more of the casual MMA fan interested to watch jiu-jitsu! Roy McDonald vs JT Torres in Metamoris was a great match. (I know that some other MMAers weren't so, um, "engaged," but I'm for it. Let's see what Eddie's got in store.)

[Joshua Jarboe]

It'll be interesting to see if he can qualify himself.

I suppose Eddie could just invite him. But would he?

[Ben Eddy]

Askren would be a great grab for EBI.

[Jack LaBarge]

Askren would be a great grab for EBI.

At this point and time I disagree and here's why. Askren is a semi big name, only mma fans and wrestlers know him. General public, NO. Metamoris already had a huge name with Chael Sonnen. It did NOT help them and Chael fought in 3 ufc title fights, movies, appearances and main stream interviews everywhere.

Eddie's vision is to make this sport we all love and bring it to main stream tv. Its fucking ridiculous that ESPN has fishing, poker, water polo, F'ing Ice curling, cross fit, etc. Eddie's knows it has to be action packed, with finishes for people that don't know the sport to watch. *And off topic, but please stop talking about the gi, general public will never watch that shit (f'ing gi guys ). So Eddie came up with the best rules in Jiu Jitisu to get that done. Its been great with positive feed back from all, even the haters. With Superfights with teens and children, which have been more exciting then the adults.

I really think the people who love this sport already, forgets Eddie's vision. Some guys aren't met for these rules. If you want this sport to grow to main stream where competitors get paid, possibly make a living competing, it has to be done with the right competitors. I'm not sold that Askren is that person. I think he could control guys positionally but I don't see any finishes. Nobody is trying to take him down either. I'm not sure Joe Soto fits. First no rash guard, all I will say is there would be more submissions in mma if they wore rash guards. That also apply's to nogi and more sponsorship opportunities. Even though Soto had submission attempts there was also times he wasn't engaging. I was fascinated with his matches but I'm a fan already.

BUT...... maybe I'm wrong.......What do I know.....Obviously MMA fans are probably one of the most important groups to get to watch EBI. That would require MMA fighters to be involved. Its just going to have to be done very carefully. aka SCHAUB

In my opinion there is only 2 mma superstars that would blow up the sport instantly. Number one would be Ronda Rousey and way below her would be Conor McGregor. They have both main stream and mma star power. Ronda more so than Conor.

By the way, I'm a big fan of Askren

[Ben Eddy]

I think Chael was a great grab for Metamoris. It brought their organization a ton of legitimacy and brought them past just being a niche event for bjj fans to being a large show for all grapplers. Their whole strategy of inviting MMA guys and guys from other disciplines has worked great for them. It has pushed their tournament past a show for just the BJJ crowd to a show for anyone interested in seeing who is the best grappler in general.

What hurt Metamoris has nothing to do with the competitors they have invited (at least in my opinion). It has to do with their management.

The framing that makes this sport interesting to me is who comes out on top in a pure grappling situation, no strikes. Catch? BJJ? Sambo? A top level MMA guy? What style wins? What moves win? Who is the best grappler?

Basically you're saying you think Askren is a little too positional and boring for EBI. Maybe so. But I think that's the job of EBI's format to correct. He'll have to find a way to survive and win under that format. And having names like him get thrown in the mix to see how they do is fun. It helps us answer the question we are asking. Who is the best grappler?

[Brandon Mccaghren]

Dude, I rolled with Ben a few years ago. And he is an ANIMAL. HIS STYLE OF WRESTLING REALLY LENDS ITSELF TO THE FLOW OF Jiu Jitsu. I would LOVE to see him in EBI. Plus, he's a good dude.

[Douglas Drew]

Dude, I rolled with Ben a few years ago. And he is an ANIMAL. HIS STYLE OF WRESTLING REALLY LENDS ITSELF TO THE FLOW OF Jiu Jitsu. I would LOVE to see him in EBI. Plus, he's a good dude.

Absolutely agree 110%!!! Bring him on in!!

[Chris Herzog]

I'm with you only 4 of his 14 wins a via submission, I'm not sure he'd be a good fit. Eddie wants the best finishers.