- Ben Askren implies that the UFC and Dana White are refusing to make the best fighters face each other, particularly Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall
- “Funky” speculates that “Bones” will beat Stipe Miocic and consider retiring
Ben Askren is not pleased by how the UFC has been shying away from making the best fights happen such as the Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall title fight.
The UFC is not living up to its promise
Speaking on Funky and The Champ show, “Funky” weighed in on the talked-about Jones vs. Aspinall showdown that the UFC has yet to book. For Askren, it’s an indication that UFC and Dana White are no longer being true to their word which is to shy away from the “shenanigans” in boxing and just see who the best fighter really is.
“I almost feel like maybe Jon has some dirt on Dana or something. Because Dana generally wouldn’t put up with this type of behavior,” Askren said. “He would say, ‘This is what the UFC has been founded on, whereas boxing wasn’t… ‘We want the best guys to fight, we want to see who the best guy is, no shenanigans, no padding records to go to 40-0’… We don’t do that; that’s what boxing does. In the UFC, we put the best guys in there, we see who wins,'” Askren said.
Jones vs. Aspinall may never happen
Askren went on and took a slight jab at “Bones” for allowing White and the UFC to make him fight Stipe Miocic, an aging former champion who hasn’t fought for almost four years. The way “Funky” sees it, most people know Jones has a great chance of beating Miocic but they still pursue it instead of Aspinall.
Moreover, Askren thinks “Bones” will push the narrative that he’s done once he beat Miocic and act as if he doesn’t have any reason to face “Honey Badger.”
“And the fact that Jon, I don’t know if allowed is the right term, but the fact that Dana is playing along and letting him and Stipe [Miocic] fight, when Stipe is going to be close to four years [out] by the time they fight… And you have this young, interim champion who, he’s a beast! He smashes people. The fact that they won’t put them in there together, and there’s this obvious guarantee that Jon beats Stipe, and says ‘I’m done!’. And then you never get to see that,” he added.
Aspinall retained his interim heavyweight title by stopping Curtis Blaydes in 60 seconds at UFC 304. But even before that, fans have already been clamoring for a showdown between “Honey Badger” and Jones.
According to White, Jones vs. Miocic will still happen and the winner will face Aspinall for a unification bout.
Watch Askren’s full video below:
