Ben Askren made his UFC debut at UFC 235, defeating former UFC Welterweight Champion Robbie Lawler by first round submission.
The welterweight contender and UFC President Dana White have had a contentious relationship for years, but Askren says things got worse after UFC 235.
“Listen, I don’t know what this guy has against me, but he obviously had something against me in 2013 and it’s pretty obvious, even though he tries to say he doesn’t, he does now,” Askren said on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show (via Adam Guillen Jr. of MMA Mania). “His body language and actions speak one way, even though his words speak another. His disdain for me after the fight Saturday night was so palpable you could almost touch it. I don’t know what his problem is, I really don’t. I have tried multiple times now to sit down with him and have reasonable conversations with him to ask what his issue with me is, and he won’t even sit down with me.”
White and Askren were joking with each other during the UFC 235 press conference, but that may have been a one time moment of joy between the fighter and the promoter.
Both White and Lawler have called for a rematch, but Askren wonders how a potential second fight benefits him.
“How does that benefit me? If I beat him again, I’m not really in a better spot than I am right now,” he said. “I’m in a spot right now where I can have a whole bunch of new fights. Me and Colby, you can put me and (Darren) Till together, it will be a huge fight. So why do I want to go take a fight, that I already won fairly and squarely?”
There has been no comment from White on his relationship with Askren, but Askren is far from the only fighter that has had issues with the UFC President over the years.
