HOUSTON – If Bellator MMA officials thought UFC President Dana White might have been intrigued by their latest offer in regards to Ben Askren, they would be wrong.
Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney recently offered to let conditional free agent Ben Askren walk away from the company provided UFC officials would guarantee him a title shot upon his move to the octagon.
White wasn't impressed.
"They're playing f---ing games," White told MMAjunkie.com. "I don't care what they're doing. It doesn't matter to me."
White, who spoke to a group of reporters following Thursday's pre-UFC 166 media day in Houston, wasn't at all interested in discussing the potential merits of the offer, which Rebney insisted was made with no strings attached.
"I don't give a s--t what they're doing," White said. "They don't matter and I don't care."
White has, in the past, expressed at least some interest in signing Askren, but this latest offer doesn't seem to have found its mark.
"When you're willing to let your f---ing champion go, it's weird," White said.
Don't be scared homie, make an offer
That is a good point that he doesn't want to keep his champion.
Interesting 
Dana has let multiple champs go himself though. Penn, Barnett and Frank Shamrock left as champs iirc... 
eljamaiquino -Dana has let multiple champs go himself though. Penn, Barnett and Frank Shamrock left as champs iirc...
Frank left his title behind - and Dana wasnt around then anyways.
cleetdog101 -eljamaiquino - Dana has let multiple champs go himself though. Penn, Barnett and Frank Shamrock left as champs iirc...
Frank left his title behind - and Dana wasnt around then anyways.
That was fucking forever ago anyways, not relevant to this scenario
Bjorn is playing games. Why should Dana let another promotion determine who gets title shots?
cleetdog101 -eljamaiquino -Dana has let multiple champs go himself though. Penn, Barnett and Frank Shamrock left as champs iirc...
Frank left his title behind - and Dana wasnt around then anyways.
And Barnett was stripped for pissing hot.
eljamaiquino -Dana has let multiple champs go himself though. Penn, Barnett and Frank Shamrock left as champs iirc...
Barnett failed a drug test and was stripped of his title. Shamrock was pre-Zuffa. Penn was asking for more money than the UFC could afford at the time, when Pride offered him an assload of cash. What's more they at least tried to negotiate with Penn.
Bellator has not made Askren any sort of offer to stick around, yet they're enforcing the matching period, which lasts a fucking year. They really are just playing games here.
Reed Rothchild -1) throwing away your most successful fighter = going all in ?Reed Rothchild -GSPPitbull3744 -Askren is a top 10 ww... Some say top 5.... He's probably the guy at 170 that can out grapple GAP... Who wouldn't want to see thatReed Rothchild - Bjorn went all in... And Dana shit the bedFuck that why should Askren get a title shot right away
2) 2 guys known for boring position based point-fighting decision styles matched against other = fireworks, epic , ftw, rawr!! ???
Dana won't go near askren until his matching period expires. He learned his lesson from the alverez situation.
Bjorn is being smart. If Askren gets a title shot and actually wins then it gives Bellator a lot of legitimacy.
Naderhood - Bjorn is being smart. If Askren gets a title shot and actually wins then it gives Bellator a lot of legitimacy.
I thin Bjorn was trying to be smart, but everyone knew Askren wasn't walking into a title shot. It was a bullshit move by Bjorn that wastes Askren's time.
They shittin' on they champ.
BernardHopkins -Askren is a more boring version of Jon Fitch, with weaker GnP than chael sonnen
why on earth would dana want that guy
Never watched a Ben Askren fight in your life have you?
Poor guy gonna have no job if Dana can't keep his ego in check
Fuck it.
Why not give him a shot?
If you're so sure he'll lose, it'll make you look good when he does, dfw.
When everyone is finished crying about this, we all want to see it don't we?
At least compromise.
He can fight the loser of GSP v Hendricks for a title shot.
Well one thing is for sure don't matter who you are, Ben will take you down and more than likely wrestlefuck you from position to position. I would be really interested to see if GSP is to one to put an end to it.