Undefeated welterweight Askren snubbed by UFC
One night while walking his dog back home in Wisconsin, it all hit Ben Askren.
“What happened?”
When it became clear Bellator MMA was letting its undefeated welterweight champion, and perhaps most polarizing figure, walk away at the conclusion of his contract in November, it seemed a foregone conclusion the 2008 Olympic wrestler would sign with the Ultimate Fighting Championship in pursuit of his goal to be the best fighter in the world.
Askren was certainly of that belief.
After being granted a waiver of his one-year exclusive negotiating period with Bellator in November, Askren had a meeting at the UFC’s Sahara Avenue office with several top executives. UFC president Dana White attended via teleconference.
They never discussed financial specifics, but Askren left believing he would be offered a contract to fight in the UFC.
Later that night, he got a call informing him the UFC was not interested.
Other organizations rushed to offer deals and Askren signed with Singapore-based ONE Fighting Championship in December. The organization is by far the biggest in Asia, available on TV in nearly a billion homes.
Askren is excited about the opportunity to further his career and expand his fan base to a new continent. It’s just not what he expected.
“It was interesting. I didn’t know ONE FC would be in the game at all,” Askren said at The Venetian last week. “I thought Bellator would hold me the entire year, which they had a right to do. Obviously, they didn’t. They let me get on with everything. It took a lot of turns that I didn’t think it was going to take, but it worked out well for me.”
Still, there was that lingering question: “What happened?”
SORTING IT OUT
“There was times during the negotiations, right after it fell apart and I’m talking to ONE FC and World Series of Fighting, I’m walking my dog thinking, ‘How in the (expletive) did I get to the point where I’m 12-0 and ranked No. 7 in the world and I’m not going to the UFC?’ It was weird,” Askren said. “Honestly, I would love to be able to sit down with Dana and say, ‘What the (expletive) really happened? Seriously, what happened?’ I have no black marks against me besides the fact that (my style is) kinda boring, which, whatever. I’ve never missed weight. I’ve never pulled out of a fight. I’ve never failed a drug test. I’ve never had a racist or homophobic Twitter rant. When you think of all these things that I’ve got going for me, I’m undefeated, top 10 in the world, I’ve got the Olympic thing you can play up, I’m good at trash-talking.
“When you think about all these things, you think, ‘What just happened?’ ”
Some felt Bellator was just playing games, and its CEO Bjorn Rebney, was secretly maintaining matching rights, but Askren says he had his outright release in writing.
Then there’s the “boring” thing. Askren fully takes advantage of the elite wrestling skills that helped him earn four All-America honors and two national titles at Missouri to dominate opponents on the ground and limit the damage he takes. There are plenty of wrestlers in the UFC, though.
Askren believes there had to be another reason — UFC’s rivalry with Bellator.
“But I’ve never got a real answer,” Askren said. “In my opinion, what I would guess, they know there’s a good chance I could win the UFC title and they’re thinking, ‘What’s going to happen if somebody from Bellator comes over and wins the belt?’ There’s a good chance of that happening.”
White brushed off the question of why Askren wasn’t pursued by the UFC.
“That’s over, man. That’s been over for months,” White said Thursday. “I said it before. We took that meeting because he wanted that meeting. They asked for that meeting, we didn’t.
“He just doesn’t work here.”
Askren hasn’t always been completely mature in dealing with the rejection. He took several shots at White on Twitter after the potential deal went south. There was another comment on the social media site over the weekend after both parties were interviewed for this story.
Askren was upset the UFC signed Patrick Cummins, a virtually unknown former college wrestler, to fight Daniel Cormier at UFC 170 at Mandalay Bay on Saturday.
“So I haven’t fought anyone,” Askren started in the first of two consecutive tweets, “but a guy who is 4-0 and opponents comb. record is 9-19 gets an immediate co main fight. Lets hear the real reason. … Didn’t (want) a former (Bellator) fighter to come and prove he is the best in the world! #fatbaldmansegoistoobig.”
Comments like that don’t exactly inspire thoughts that Askren will ever work for White.
OPPORTUNITY ABROAD
The UFC’s loss could be ONE FC’s gain.
Askren inked a two-year, six-fight deal. He will make his debut for the organization fighting for the welterweight title in May against either Brock Larson or Nobutatsu Suzuki.
“I’ll be fighting in front of huge audiences and huge television audiences as well,” the 29-year-old said. “As a fighter, all you can do is win the fights in front of you. They’re going to match me up with whoever. I’m going to beat them up and be 18-0 at the end of this.
“It’s a hugely growing organization. I think within these two years there will be a lot of signings that aren’t there now. When they sign a guy like me, that’s going to hopefully attract other guys or at least give them the ability to attract good people in my division. They have some really good guys, they’re just not well known in America.”
When Askren became available, ONE FC CEO Victor Cui jumped at the chance to bring him aboard.
“Ben has to he one of the most compelling figures in the combat sports industry,” Cui said. “He is a collegiate wrestling legend and has started his mixed martial arts career with an impressive winning streak. He has destroyed every opponent he has faced in a mixed martial arts bout.”
It would be easy to assume Askren’s signing was an attempt by ONE FC to make inroads in the U.S. market. Cui said the company remains focused on Asia, although it allows it is looking to expand.
“The attention that ONE FC has generated in the U.S. since Askren has signed has been unbelievable,” Cui said. “Our burgeoning American fan base is relishing the prospect of seeing him compete, and Askren can’t wait to showcase why he is the best in the world.”
BEST IN THE WORLD
Askren knows the questions will remain as long as there is a perception that he’s not fighting the best competition.
“I’ve heard people say, ‘He sucks. He wouldn’t beat anyone in the top 20, blah, blah, blah,’ ” Askren said. “If I step in the cage with any welterweight in the world, I’m not going to bet against myself. Period.”
Askren still hopes to prove his point, although he knows it will have to be outside the UFC for now.
“My goal is just to be the best in the world. ONE FC is a huge organization and hopefully they can help make that happen. If I never fight in the UFC, I’ll be OK with that,” he said. “Obviously there’s a sour taste in my mouth from the negotiations. It’s a lot more than most people know and I’m not going to talk about it. ONE FC is treating me great and I’m excited to go fight for them.
“I’m perfectly comfortable with who I am. I don’t need the fans to recognize me as the best in the world to make me happy. I want to do it for myself.”
Askren was troubled by the process and the perception he was a part of the ongoing battle between the UFC and Bellator, a Viacom-backed organization hoping to challenge the UFC’s market dominance.
“I was definitely a pawn,” he said. “Then I took my ball and left and went to ONE FC.”
It got to the point Askren announced he was thinking of just quitting the sport. He insists it wasn’t a ploy.
Askren owns two wrestling academies that bring in enough to support his wife and young daughter. He said he loves coaching kids and could have fulfilled his competitive drive that way. Plus, Askren feels he has already taken his athletic career further than he ever thought possible.
“As a kid, I couldn’t have dreamed of accomplishing the things I did. I just wanted to be a state champion in high school. I won two national championships in college, I went to the Olympics, then became a top-10 MMA fighter in the world,” he said. “I’m very satisfied with the things I’ve accomplished so far. Obviously, I want to accomplish more, but say I get hurt and my career’s over, I’m good with what I’ve done.”
Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.
