Ben Askren on Entering The UFC: 'It's Just A Matter of Time'

[WrestlingSmarks News]

Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren has spent more than half of his young MMA career in the Bellator organization. With five wins in 13 months that includes a tournament win along with a title win and defense, Askren hasn't taken long to ascend into the mix among the elite prospects in the 170 pound division. Ben understands the climate of MMA right now though. Zuffa is king, and all roads to the top lead through their doors. When asked on MMAWeekly radio about a possible move to the UFC one day, Askren was very frank with his response:

"Now it’s just a matter of time. Because since they bought Strikeforce and obviously Pride’s no longer around, or any other viable Asian promotion, I mean that’s it. I’m on the top of Bellator and I’m ranked 15th in the world, and so I think every single person above me is either in the UFC or Strikeforce, which is essentially all UFC. It’s just a matter of time."

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I'm not sure how happy Bjorn Rebney would be if he heard that, but Askren is just being a realist here. This month's USA Today/SB Nation Consensus rankings have exactly one non-Zuffa fighter above him in the rankings, and guess what? It's the most recent Bellator welterweight tournament winner Jay Hieron, who Askren just happens to be facing in his next fight. Bellator will undoubtedly have more challengers for him if he gets through Hieron, but how long can he continue fighting lower-ranked fighters?

"I love what Bellator’s doing for me, and I’ve got nothing against that, but my goal is to be the best in the world, and I simply can’t accomplish that in Bellator at this point," Askren said.

"If I somehow could, I’d be fine to stay in Bellator."

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He puts a final exclamation on his thought process with this:

"Exactly," Askren answered when asked if a move to the UFC was inevitable. "If I want to accomplish the goals I want to accomplish, then yes."

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You can't blame him for wanting to fight the best.