It appears that we may now be closer than we ever have been in getting to see “Funky” Ben Askren step inside the UFC Octagon.

One of the most unfortunate cases in the history of MMA has been not getting to see the 18-0 former Bellator and ONE welterweight champion competing for the world’s leader in the sport. But that could all be changing sometime in the near future.

After being asked today by a fan of what the chances are of him fighting in the UFC, Askren responded and said “98 [percent]”. This was then shortly followed by ESPN’s Ariel Helwani reporting that things are indeed looking a lot better for Askren to make the transition than they perhaps once were.

I’m told there has been some promising movement as of late on the Ben Askren to UFC dream but nothing is finalized at this time.

Askren has made it clear since “semi-retiring” after his final bout for ONE Championship in November 2017 against Shinya Aoki that he is still interested in proving that he’s been the very best in the world this whole time. The way to do that? Get into the UFC and take out a top dog.

The primary target on Askren’s mind has been the consensus greatest welterweight of all time, Georges St-Pierre.

St-Pierre’s last fight also came in November 2017 when he returned after a four-year hiatus to dethrone Michael Bisping and become the middleweight champion. Like Askren, St-Pierre has also expressed interest in returning for one or two more fights that will only affect his legacy and give him the chance to do things that have never been done before. Which makes the fight seem all too perfect.

Another name on the mind of both men is the lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. However, that’s obviously the lesser likely option but it will still definitely be interesting to see what the future holds for one of the best fighters to have never fought in the UFC in Askren.

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 10/22/2018