Bellator's Ben Askren vs. Jay Hieron title fight could take place at Mizzou

Bellator officials are close to naming a date and venue for a season-five title fight between welterweight champion Ben Askren (8-0 MMA, 5-0 BFC) and recent tournament winner Jay Hieron (22-4 MMA, 3-0 BFC).

And if officials get their way, it'll take place on the campus of the University of Missouri, where Askren won two NCAA Division I national wrestling championships.
But as Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney recently told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com), there could be some hurdles.

"It really just boils down to whether or not Mizzou has the availability and the venue," said Rebney, who's been in talks with officials from the Columbia, Mo. university. "I think it's the kind of show in that market with its attachment to wrestling, it could do spectacular. Obviously, there would be tremendous, over-the-top support for Ben. But it's just finding a date there."

A rumored Oct. 8 date at Bellator 53, though, isn't happening, Rebney said.

"All indications are that the fight will take place at the end of October," he said. "If not the end of October, definitely the beginning of November."
The preference is to do at the University of Missouri, though Rebney may need to hold it elsewhere.

"We're just trying to find the right location for that," he said. "Mizzou would be great, but I don't know if we can pull it off given the availability."

In addition to Askren, Mizzou has produced wrestlers-turned-MMA-fighters such as Michael Chandler (who's got an upcoming title fight with Bellator lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez), top Strikeforce contender Tyron Woodley, Bellator vet J.P. Reese and ProElite heavyweight Mark Ellis.
As for Askren, who's 8-0 since 2009 pro debut, Rebney said he's just anxious to get back in the cage.

"He would fight every four or six days if he could get away with it," Rebney said. "He's ready to go at any moment. He's one of the guys hitting me up all the time saying, 'I'm ready to go.'"

source:mmajunkie