FiveKnuckles.com: Who was the toughest opponent you faced during your college career and do you think he would do well in MMA?

Ben Askren: It's pretty obvious it was Chris Pendleton from Oklahoma State. I had eight losses in my whole college career and seven of them were to him. He was definitely a thorn in my side. I'm not too sure he'd like to get hit though. If he can get passed that, maybe he'd do pretty well in MMA.

FiveKnuckles.com: Do you think collegiate wrestlers deserve more mainstream attention?

Ben Askren: No. It's not really a sport that a lot of people aspire to see because it's hard to watch and you have to understand a lot about what's going on in a wrestling match. Everyone gets sports like baseball, basketball, and football. They're easy to pay attention to and easy to watch. I don't think wrestling is quite the same and I don't think wrestling should change for the sake of being on TV. Wrestling shouldn't aspire to be a mainstream sport. It's never going to be and I think it should accept its role. If an athlete wants to be on TV, then play one of the more popular sports. MMA is turning into a very popular sport and if attention or fame is what an athlete is looking for, then wrestling isn't the sport to be involved in.

FiveKnuckles.com: How big of let down was failing to medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics?

Ben Askren: It was definitely a letdown. I expected to win and I came up short. It was something that I had trained a long time for and I thought about for years and years. To come up short was obviously very disappointing. The whole process would have meant a lot more to me if I succeeded in my journey, but I'm not finished. I'm definitely not finished wrestling and look forward to competing at the next Olympics. I've recently competed since the Olympics and this journey isn't over. I want to be the best in the world and win an Olympic title as well as a world title. I have a long way to go and don't want to put any thoughts into it right now.

FiveKnuckles.com: USA Wrestling is now awarding $250,000 to a competitor that wins an Olympic Gold Medal. Is USA Wrestling doing what they need to do to keep their athletes happy and hungry?

Ben Askren: Kind of. I think they're doing the right thing by putting that money out there if a wrestler comes up big in the end. You know a lot of these guys are raising families while trying to make the Olympic team and that doesn't provide any day to day money for a competitor to live on. That's $250,000 possibly at the end of four years and when you look at the difference between first and second place the margin is very slim. The difference is so close. The edge is razor thin. A lot of people just aren't going to be awarded that money. It could end up being one, two, three, or at most four Americans cashing in on that...