This whole Ben Askren situation is just some kind of stupid joke at this point with everyone waiting for the punchline, but there is no punchline in sight, sadly. After receiving his release from Bellator the entire MMA world thought that Ben Askren was UFC-bound and was excited about the idea of him against top UFC Welterweights only for Dana White to veto that, claiming that Askren needs more seasoning before he can get a shot at the UFC.
If they were just to outright say, “we think that you are boring and have a thing against Bellator, sorry kid,” it might be different, but instead, they have been claiming that Askren doesn’t have enough experience and isn’t a top ten fighter. The UFC has not been the “Superbowl of MMA” in years now, as their roster is bloated with any and every name they can find to keep away from the competition, so this just comes across as petty.
Over the weekend word started to emerge of Ben Askren moving his training camp to Evolve MMA in Singapore and considering Evolve’s ties with One FC, it seemed to be implied that Ben Askren would be heading to One FC. According to BE’s Anton Tabuena, it seems that Ben Askren moving to One FC is a done deal at this point and should be announced soon. [link]