In the 24 hours since Ben Askren was rumored to be part of a historic trade between competing promotions, the former Bellator MMA and ONE Championship welterweight champion hasn't wasted any time lining potential opponents.
Should Askren (18-0, 1 NC), a dominant grappler and former two-time NCAA champion at Missouri, end up fulfilling his dream of competing against the top 170-pound fighters in the UFC, as ESPN's Ariel Helwani reported Wednesday, one can expect the smoke of his full-on Twitter assault on Thursday to lead to fire inside the Octagon.
Now you’re all in big big trouble!
— Ben Askren (@Benaskren) October 25, 2018
Askren, 34, is on the verge of securing a deal that would free him from his contract with Asia-based ONE Championship in a "trade" with UFC that would send longtime flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson to ONE. It's a reality few thought would ever be possible, including Askren himself, after his 2012 Twitter feud with UFC president Dana White appeared to seal his fate as persona non grata to the promotion.
Now, just months after he announced his retirement from the sport (along with the caveat that he would only return for a super fight in the UFC), Askren has embarked on a social media tour-de-force to recruit new opponents, many of whom fired back at him.
@ColbyCovMMA might get beat up by @TWooodley first but I’m calling dibs on whipping him next. He is despicable
— Ben Askren (@Benaskren) October 25, 2018
Notice not one of these WW's is saying my name right now. They think if they hide their heads in the sand some other poor lamb will be taken for slaughter.
— Ben Askren (@Benaskren) October 25, 2018
Thanks to his dominant ground game, Askren has largely dominated opponents as a professional, including four defenses each of his Bellator and ONE welterweight titles. For years, hard-core MMA fans wondered whether his one-dimensional style and fairly pedestrian striking game could produce the same success against the UFC's best fighters.
So many fighters said stuff about me in the past. I don’t even get hit. I might tell @ufc to set up a bum of the month club and fight every month!
— Ben Askren (@Benaskren) October 25, 2018
LOL @Benaskren out here working his way through the @ufc roster like pic.twitter.com/MvS8IIGlk9
— Blair Herter (@blairherter) October 25, 2018
It appears Askren has wondered the same thing and has used the negativity from rival fighters over the years as stored fuel.
Well I appreciate you being the only one with the courage Mike, but let’s be real: you suck, you know you aren’t getting the shot. https://t.co/xMAV4jpZmg
— Ben Askren (@Benaskren) October 25, 2018
@ColbyCovMMA wouldn’t tweet me back bc I would expose his very subpar intellect!
— Ben Askren (@Benaskren) October 25, 2018
Hey @darrentill2 you feel like going on a losing streak?
— Ben Askren (@Benaskren) October 25, 2018
Alan being humbled in front of millions isn’t something fake tough like happening to them. You’re 1-2 in your last 3, go back to modeling. https://t.co/eNwKBAZBC8
— Ben Askren (@Benaskren) October 25, 2018
Askren even tweeted what appears to be a shot at UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who joins Askren on the short list of MMA's most dominant wrestlers.
Anyone know another Russian that needs humbled the old country way? pic.twitter.com/tEdSoUSX45
— Ben Askren (@Benaskren) October 25, 2018