Ben Askren has not always had the best relationship with UFC President Dana White. From the sounds of it, however, he and the UFC boss seem to be mending fences.
Speaking on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday, Ben Askren detailed a handful of cordial exchanges with the UFC boss — which led to plans for a sit-down in Las Vegas.
Jed I. Goodman on Twitter has the highlights:
This is pertinent news as Ben Askren very recently expressed his frustration with the difficulty he was having getting a meeting with Dana White.
“Dana’s disdain for me is just so clear and evident,” Askren told Luke Thomas (transcript via MMA Fighting). “It’s so hilarious, because he keeps saying, ‘No, I like you, Ben. I don’t dislike you.’ But then literally every action, every body language tells a totally different story, that he is like somehow repulsed by me. He hasn’t liked me forever. He didn’t like me in 2013 when they refused to sign me; he doesn’t like me now.
“I have offered to sit down with the guy multiple times to be reasonable, like two adults should do,” he said. “He’s not taken me up one time. I genuinely don’t know what his problem with me is.”
Speaking on the Ariel Helwani’s show on Monday, Askren also discussed the options for his next fight. From the sounds of it, he’s ready and willing to fight pretty much anybody. Kamaru Usman, Colby Covington, Darren Till, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, Rafael dos Anjos, Santiago Ponzinibbio, Demian Maia, Leon Edwards and Jorge Masvidal all made his hit list.
Do you think Ben Askren and Dana White will ever get along? What do you think will come of their meeting in Las Vegas? Join the conversation in the comments section below.
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 3/17/2019.