Dana White on CM Punk Signing, Ben Askren
UFC President Dana White is no strangers to criticism and has definitely received a ton of it following the signing of former WWE superstar Phil Brooks aka “CM Punk.”
White and the UFC has had a lot of condemnation from fighters, media and fans alike sent their way due to the signing of Punk. Many have argued that if someone with an 0-0 record such as CM Punk can get a UFC contract, then why can’t former Bellator and current ONE FC Welterweight champion Ben Askren? Including Askren himself.
The UFC President spoke to UFC.com about the signing of CM Punk, and, you guessed it, Ben Askren.
“Some people love it, some people hate it, said White. The people who are opposed to it and bitching about it, I get it. Every fight that we do isn’t going to be everybody’s thing, but there will be people who want to watch him (Punk) and those that don’t. He and I have become friends,” and he told me, ‘I’ve achieved some cool things in my life and I want to try the UFC. It’s not like I’m young enough to fight my way up in the smaller leagues. I’d like to come in and give it a shot and see what I got.”
When asked about the undefeated Askren, here’s what White had to say:
“The thing is with Ben Askren is that Ben Askren doesn’t really want to fight here, in my opinion. People that are close to him say the same thing. The guy is making a ton of money to fight nobodies, but when you talk and you say a lot of things it keeps your name out there. Trust me when I tell you this, Ben Askren does not want to fight in the UFC. Believe me when I tell you that.” [source]