Bellator's Rebney: I'll let Ben Askren go if UFC gives him immediate title shot"

Fri Oct 11, 2013 12:39 am

by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Oct 10, 2013 at 9:15 pm ET

Bellator's Rebney: I'll let Ben Askren go if UFC gives him immediate title shot" 0

Ben Askren isn't the only one who wants Ben Askren to fight Georges St-Pierre.

His boss is willing to become his former boss right away if it means the Bellator welterweight champion gets an immediate shot at the UFC's champ.

Recently on his official Twitter account, Askren (12-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA) said he's got no plans to leave the sport before fighting St-Pierre. Included among the wrestler's tweets was one saying he would "lay on GSP for as long as I damn well please."

Now the free agent's boss, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney, may be getting in on the act.

Askren told ESPN.com that Rebney told him he would straight up waive Bellator's matching rights if the UFC offered him a deal that guaranteed him a title shot in his first fight with the promotion.

St-Pierre, the UFC's current 170-pound champion, defends his title next month against Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 in Las Vegas.

“If you want to say the best fighters in the world fight in your organization and one becomes available and you have the unfettered right to talk to him, pick up the phone and call him," Rebney told ESPN.com. "... Give him a title fight out of the box, which is not unreasonable given that he's ranked in the top six in the world, and I'll just walk away from our matching rights. So I'm making it as simple as I can possibly make it for them to live up to what they claim. Go for it. Or don't go for and I'll re-sign him."

Askren, a four-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler, most recently fought in July, when he stopped Andrey Koreshkov with a fourth-round TKO at Bellator 97. Before that, he stopped Karl Amoussou after three rounds. The two stoppages broke a streak of six straight decision wins – decisions that led to plenty of criticism from fans, from UFC President Dana White and even in some ways from Rebney.

"I've been a staunch supporter of Ben Askren," Rebney recently said. "We can all agree: He's ridiculously one-dimensional. But the issue with that one dimension is that he's better at it than anyone on the face of the earth. ... I don't know if Ben will be with us, I don't know if Ben will be with the UFC. But wherever he goes, he will remain dominant and he will remain amazingly effective at the one thing he does better than anybody."

Askren told ESPN.com he had not yet received an offer from the UFC. Whether the Missouri product winds up there or returns to Bellator remains to be seen.

For more on the Bellator and UFC schedules, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.

http://www.mmajunkie.com/news/2013/10/bellators-rebney-ill-let-ben-askren-go-if-ufc-gives-him-immediate-title-shot?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Fri Oct 11, 2013 12:56 am

It makes since to me. He's currently the #1 WW outside of ZUFFA.

Fri Oct 11, 2013 3:37 am

Bjorn wants to show people that Bellator has better fighters than UFC and I think Askren would win against GSP so this is smart thinking.

Sat Oct 12, 2013 9:29 am

Smart move by Bjorn. Would love to see UFC WW champ vs. the top WW outside UFC.

Sat Oct 12, 2013 12:09 pm

This is a pretty intriguing match up. I hope it happens.

Sat Oct 12, 2013 2:04 pm

Gsp could probably out box him with his gay ass jabs but straight grappling ....

Not so sure

Askrens wrestling and cardio are major factors.I doubt ufc would risk this fight immediately he will probly fight atleast 1 Guy before gsp.

This fight I want fir sure.

Sat Oct 12, 2013 2:15 pm

I'd like condit for askren....

Good kickboxer good bjj Guy would be a great barometer for where askren will be.

Sat Oct 12, 2013 2:15 pm

I'd like condit for askren....

Good kickboxer good bjj Guy would be a great barometer for where askren will be.

Sat Oct 12, 2013 2:30 pm

http://www.bjpenn.com/report-firas-zahabi-says-gsp-might-be-done-after-hendricks-fight/

Looks like this fight isn't happening after all.

Silva superfight would probly be only fight with enough motivation for him but now really who cares.

Bigger story is after Silva loses again and decision master gsp retire ufc is back to dark ages LOL. Smile

Sat Oct 12, 2013 4:40 pm

If GSP retires and Ben goes over to Zombieland, then I see him ruling the division.

I don't see anyone really stopping his grappling except GSP if he can jabfest him.

I think he'd beat Hendricks and Condit is a good fighter but we his big weakness is what Ben excels at. I just see Ben molesting him.

If GSP retires, Dana should just give him the title 8)

Sun Oct 13, 2013 4:25 am

LOL.
It this Bjorns way to tell UFC to fuck off?
Bald father would never ever give Ben a title shot.
its way too risky!
Ben would just expose GSP and show the world that the Bellator fighters are for real..

Bellator's Rebney: I'll let Ben Askren go if UFC gives him immediate title shot"

Bellator's Rebney: I'll let Ben Askren go if UFC gives him immediate title shot"

Re: Bellator's Rebney: I'll let Ben Askren go if UFC gives him immediate title shot"

Re: Bellator's Rebney: I'll let Ben Askren go if UFC gives him immediate title shot"

Re: Bellator's Rebney: I'll let Ben Askren go if UFC gives him immediate title shot"

Re: Bellator's Rebney: I'll let Ben Askren go if UFC gives him immediate title shot"

Re: Bellator's Rebney: I'll let Ben Askren go if UFC gives him immediate title shot"

Re: Bellator's Rebney: I'll let Ben Askren go if UFC gives him immediate title shot"

Re: Bellator's Rebney: I'll let Ben Askren go if UFC gives him immediate title shot"

Re: Bellator's Rebney: I'll let Ben Askren go if UFC gives him immediate title shot"

Re: Bellator's Rebney: I'll let Ben Askren go if UFC gives him immediate title shot"

Re: Bellator's Rebney: I'll let Ben Askren go if UFC gives him immediate title shot"

Re: Bellator's Rebney: I'll let Ben Askren go if UFC gives him immediate title shot"