UFC
ONE FC Champ Ben Askren says he has a "hard time with how Dana White treats people"
Sep 2, 2014 - 8:05:28 PM ONE FC Champ Ben Askren says he has a "hard time with how Dana White treats people"

DISCUSS ALL THIS IN OUR NEW MMATORCH FORUM

...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

After Dana White said over the weekend that he'd be interested in bringing Ben Askren in should the newly crowned ONE FC Champ keep winning, Askren shot off a justifiably snarky Tweet in response. On Tuesday, Askren expanded on his thoughts in an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour.

One of his biggest issues is simply dealing with Dana White. Askren says he has "a hard time with how Dana White treats people," and given the way the initial negotiations went earlier this year, he's not chomping at the bit to talk to the UFC again.

"It's kind of like all of us had that time in high school when we were bullied by the cool group of kids," Askren said. "Then we did something, then the cool group said 'oh my god, can you be part of our group?' Then some of us who didn't have low self esteem said 'well, you didn't want me the first time, I'm alright.' Then some other people, they run, 'the cool kids want to hang out with me? Yes, please.' I think it's kind of one of those things."

"Him saying I'm not good enough for the UFC? I've got more skills in my pinky finger than half the damn guys in the UFC. Have you seen some of these guys fighting lately? It's ridiculous. Having the letters UFC behind my name is not the be-all, end-all it is for someone. Some people think once they get into the UFC, that's it. I think with having more large organizations in the word, it's going to be great for the fighters, because the right now the fighters are being underpaid greatly, in my opinion, and I was one who was able to step outside that box and go find a great paycheck somewhere else."

Askren took White to task for throwing Renan Barao under the bus for missing weight, citing a complete lack of "human decency." Still, despite the issues the two sides have had with one another, Askren isn't going to rule out eventually coming to an understanding with the UFC.

"I'm not going to grovel," Askren said. "I'm not going to be a kiss-up. I think he started with the personal attacks before I did... If he wanted to meet face to face and talk, we could settle the beef, I'd be open to that."

Penick's Analysis: Honestly, this could be one of those situations where Lorenzo Fertitta gets more involved eventually to open a dialog and make something happen. Askren's not going to stop being Askren, and he doesn't need to. He's evolved his in-cage game to the point where he not only overwhelms with his wrestling, but with his ground and pound as well. Add in a personality many love and the rest love to hate, and there's a recipe for a legitimate star if given the right platform. He belongs in the Octagon, and hopefully we could see it before the too long.