(This story initially appeared on usatoday.com .) Ben Askren isn’t the type to sugarcoat his opinions. Ask him what he thought of fellow Bellator MMA champion Michael Chandler when he first encountered him on the University of Missouri wrestling team in 2004, and he’ll give it to you straight. “In the beginning, he really wasn’t very good,” Askren (11-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA), a two-time NCAA Division I national champion who now reigns as Bellator’s undefeated welterweight champ, tells USA TODAY Sports and MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). Lightweight champion Chandler (11-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) doesn’t disagree.