Ben Askren made his UFC debut at UFC 235, defeating former UFC Welterweight Champion Robbie Lawler by first round submission.
A victorious Askren knows what he wants next, which is the creation of a 165 pound championship and to fight UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov for that belt.
“If there’s some way I could make that happen next, I would make it happen … I don’t think I can, right? I think I’m like one or two fights away from that happening,” Askren said backstage at UFC Fight Night London (via Abbey Subhan of MMA Junkie). “But that is something that would be an awesome fight: great storyline, both undefeated, the USA vs. Russia thing always plays. And then you also got like the best wrestler in MMA type of thing playing. So you would have a whole lot of angles to play. That fight would be a lot of fun.”
There are currently twelve titles in the UFC, ranging from women’s strawweight to men’s heavyweight. If the bout were to come together, it would give Nurmagomedov an opportunity to be only one of a handful of fighters to hold two belts simultaneously in the UFC.
UFC President Dana White has spoken out against creating the 165 pound title in the past, making the chance of a new championship being created slim at best right now.
