The move benefits both parties. The Roufusport team gets pointers and help in the wrestling department from Askren, a 2008 U.S. Olympian, while Askren gets help on developing his striking from the likes of Anthony Pettis, Alan Belcher and Pat Barry, not to mention Roufus himself.
Roufus, speaking in an interview taped for today's edition of Bloody Elbow Radio, said Askren wants to be awesome at striking, but just hasn't been in the environment to do so.
"The crazy thing is, in Bellator, he really hasn't had any MMA camps for his fights. He's coaching with the ASU team, he's traveling on weekends most of the time for meets. If I were a guy and I lost to Ben Askren right now, I'd feel really bad. Sometimes you guys talk crap about him, but he hasn't really even trained yet for these fights. He's just beating you because he's that good."
Askren has taken a lot of heat from fans and media alike for his performances in Bellator, where he has compiled a 5-0 record — with four straight decisions — while relying almost exclusively on his wrestling en route to winning the Bellator Season 2 welterweight tournament championship and the company's welterweight title.
"When we do get together, he picks up techniques quick," Roufus said. "He just needs ... time, time, time. He'll get it, though. You just have to understand how to coach certain guys and I think we're going to work well together."
Less than two months after joining the team, Askren already is paying dividends.
"Just the other day we were working some defenses that he just thought up and he was showing the guys and within a day it was working for all our guys," Roufus said. "It was so out of the box."
To hear the full interview with Roufus, tune in to today's edition of Bloody Elbow Radio (3:30 p.m. ET)