Dana White is not the one to hold back. The UFC President is known for being brutally honest about issues that he is asked about. Over the years, White has been involved in a war of words with a number of figures in combat sports. Oscar De La Hoya, Bob Arum, and Ben Askren, to name a few. However, of the three names mentioned, one signed for the UFC and fought thrice before retiring once again.
Ben Askren cleared the air about his rocky relationship with Dana White in a recent episode of the ‘Jaxxon Podcast’. Askren said,
“No there was nothing (relationship with Dana White). Well so in 2013, I finished, I was ranked 6th or 7th in the world. I finished my contract and I said Bellator I am not coming back. I am going to move on, I figured I would be going to the UFC. And yeah, I went there and I had no offer. So I hit up One Championship.”
Ben Askren and Dana White did not always see eye to eye. The first instance of a dislike between the two men occurred in 2012. Askren, as a lifelong clean competitor, blasted the UFC and particularly Dana White for not drug testing their athletes. In response to Askren’s comments, White labelled ‘Funky’ the most boring fighter of all time. The UFC President took it a step further and also stated that he would rather watch “flies f**k” than watch Ben Askren.
‘Funky’ did not take this in good sport and decided not to listen to the insults. In a 2017 interview, he stated the biggest advantage of not being in the UFC. He said, “For me, the biggest benefit (of not being in the UFC) is not having to work with Dana White. That guys is a freaking scumbag.” Surprisingly, Askren, who is popular for being a Bellator and ONE athlete, was signed as a UFC fighter despite his differences with White.
How did Ben Askren end up in the UFC?
Ben Askren retired from MMA for the first time in 2017 after securing a knockout win over Shinya Aoki. When he retired, Askren still had one fight left on his contract with ONE Championship. In 2018, the UFC was unsure of its flyweight division. After just losing his belt, Demetrious Johnson felt it was time for a new challenge.
Thus, the UFC and ONE Championship, therefore, reached an agreement to trade Johnson for Askren. ‘Mighty’ joined ONE Championship in 2018 and made his debut in March 2019. Askren, on the other hand, fought Robbie Lawler at UFC 235 in March 2019.
