Freestyle wrestler turning page following Olympic flop

When Ben Askren thinks about his regrettable performance at the Olympics, his response is the same — he cringes, then he sighs, then the smile on his face morphs into a frown.

“I wrestled like a moron,” he said.

Fast forward less than two years, and Askren more closely resembles a seasoned tactician with plenty to prove, refined by a productive year of studying the techniques of Russian world champions and learning jujitsu to launch a mixed martial arts career.

Askren displayed his improved skills Friday at the Dave Schultz Memorial International Championships, pinning Olympic Training Center resident Trent Paulson in the second period of the 163-pound freestyle final at the OTC for his biggest international victory in five years.

It was a far cry from the 2008 Beijing Games, where Askren, 25, of Tempe, Ariz., lost to Cuban Ivan Fundora in the second round. It also shows how much Askren, a two-time NCAA champion at Missouri, has progressed since mimicking Russian scrambling styles and beginning MMA, in which he has marked three lightning-quick submissions.

“You got to put people away,” said Askren, who dropped the first period to Paulson and was down in the second when he turned him with 22 seconds left. “That’s what I’ve done my whole career. When they get on their back, the mat is going to get slapped.”

A frequent OTC visitor for training camps, Askren said he’s going to keep competing in MMA “until someone proves I can’t. … The mentality toward both sports is the same — you work hard, you do what you’re good at, you stay away from what you’re bad at.”

Askren admits MMA doesn’t help in wrestling. Then again, perhaps he doesn’t need a lot of help, just a tape of the Russians and a painful reminder of his Olympic debut.

“That hurts, looking back,” he said. “I don’t think I’m that far off. I definitely think I can get better. … I’m willing to change at all times to provide myself a better opportunity to win.”