One FC signs former Olympian Askren

MANILA, Philippines -- ONE Fighting Championship, Asia’s largest mixed martial arts organization, has capped off the year with a series of high-profile signings, highlighted by the acquisition of undefeated Welterweight kingpin Ben Askren.

The former Olympian joins a list of top mixed martial artists like Dae Hwan Kim, Chris Lokteff, Harris Sarmiento and Aung La Nsang, to recently agree to exclusive contracts.

Askren is a legend in collegiate wrestling with four All-American awards. He finished his wrestling career at the University of Missouri with a record of 153-8. 91 of those victories came by way of pins, which are third most in NCAA Division I history.

He also wrestled in the US Olympics team in 2008 before transitioning to mixed martial arts. Since his debut in 2009, he has won twelve bouts in a row in dominating fashion, winning multiple championships and earning a spot as one of the best Welterweights in the world.

A veteran of the MMA scene in South Korea, Kim will compete on Asia's largest stage for the first time. The 26 year-old is still undefeated in his mixed martial arts career with eight wins on his record. Kim has fluid boxing and an aggressive fighting style that has served him well.

Kim is looking to make waves in ONE FC and with the Bantamweight division arguably the most loaded with talent; it will be interesting to see how Kim compares to fellow contenders Kevin Belingon, Soo Chul Kim and Maskatsu Ueda. He made a successful ONE FC debut, submitting Australian submission grappler Thanh Vu in an exciting contest that displayed Kim’s exciting fighting style.

Nsang, meanwhile, is a Middleweight veteran of Burmese ancestry. Aung is nicknamed "The Burmese Python" for his submission abilities and he has recorded nine submission victories in his career so far. Aung is from the ethic group known as Kachin, and was born in Myitkyina, Myanmar (Burma).

He sought refuge in the United States during infighting in the state and began training in MMA while in college. Since then, he has fought in over 20 professional mixed martial arts bouts and spends his free time volunteering in Kachin relief efforts. Aung has stated he hopes to be able to return to Myitkyina and open a gym. He will look to constrict his opponent and continue his string of submission wins in the Middleweight division when he makes his debut in ONE FC.

Lokteff is the top Heavyweight to emerge Australia. He made a convincing statement in his ONE FC debut by defeating top American Heavyweight Tony Johnson in resounding fashion. He stuffed the takedown attempts by Tony Johnson and managed to land an array of devastating kicks and punches that Johnson had no answer for. With the victory, Lokteff extends his record to 11-1, making him one of the top Heavyweight prospects in the world.

Sarmiento is a Lightweight veteran of more than sixty fights. He has competed in top promotions like Strikeforce as well as PXC in Asia.  His Hawaiian warrior spirit shines through in his exciting bouts he puts on everytime he steps in the cage. He now gets a chance to test himself in the big leagues against the best Lightweights in Asia such as Eddie Ng, Shinya Aoki and Vuyisile Colossa.