Ben “Funky” Askren (16-0, 1 NC) does not like taking too much time off. He prefers to train and compete as much as possible.

On 2 September, just a little more than three months since his last title defense, the ONE Welterweight World Champion will return to the cage. The 33-year-old American is set to defend his coveted belt against top contender Zebaztian “The Bandit” Kadestam (9-3) at ONE CHAMPIONSHIP: SHANGHAI.

These two athletes are not strangers to each other. In fact, this collision course started back in May.

Askren faced off against then-challenger Agilan “Alligator” Thani at ONE: DYNASTY OF HEROES. The reigning welterweight kingpin used his Olympic-level wrestling to smother his Malaysian foe, and needed just 2:20 to dominate Thani en route to an arm-triangle submission victory.

“It went exactly as planned,” the champ says. “He struggled pretty hard, and even got back to his feet once, but I think my ability to control people on the ground is pretty well-established. I got him down, dominated with strikes, and that led to the submission.”

Just before that title match took place, however, Askren was inside his dressing room. He was warming up, and watching the other welterweight clash on the card featuring short-notice replacement Kadestam and veteran martial artist Luis “Sapo” Santos.

Though Sweden’s Kadestam was dominated over the first ten minutes of the bout, he took advantage of an exhausted “Sapo” in the final frame. With Santos unable to go at full speed, “The Bandit” knocked Santos out with three well-placed knees.

On that night, the 26-year-old striker shocked the world, and grabbed the champion’s attention.

“He is tough, he is durable, and that showed in the match with Santos,” Askren says. “He took some hard shots, but stayed in there and kept competing. Then, he was able to land the really big knee in the third round, which ended up finishing the match.”

The pair of victories set the stage for the quintessential grappler versus striker showdown on Saturday, 2 September, in Shanghai.

Come the opening bell, Kadestam will pose some unique dangers for the champ, namely his highly-regarded Muay Thai skills that come with a side of knockout power. Of his nine victories, seven have come by stoppage courtesy of strikes. Additionally, the Swede’s takedown defense could delay Askren’s greatest asset of wrestling until he can land a telling blow.

Askren realizes the danger, and is preparing for it.

“I cannot get lackadaisical on him, and I cannot stop putting the pressure on, because obviously, he is really tough,” the American says. “He is big, he is strong, and he hits hard with both hands and knees. He is tough, he is durable, and he is going to stay in the match. He is not going to do something stupid and give it up easily and early. He is going to stick around until I put him out.”

Askren plans to employ the same strategy that has remained unchanged for the last eight years: take his opponent to the mat and either score the submission win, or ground and pound them to victory.

That strategy has been an outstanding success, dating back to his professional debut in February 2009. “Don’t fix what’s not broken,” the champ says.

“I am really effective at what I do. I never made a secret of it, and I always played to my strengths, and that is something a lot of people get away from. They do not play to their strengths, and I always play to my strengths, and I have been very focused and determined on what I do. So far, it has worked out well.”