Dana on Bellator: "They're playing f---ing games"

[Tomato_Can]

dermotfix - 

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?

Because it's free publicity for Bellator, win or lose, and because he doesn't deserve it, and because it wouldn't be a particularly big PPV seller.

I actually kinda like Askren but the guy has done very little to suggest he can challenge GSP.

[dermotfix]

Tomato Can - 

dermotfix - 

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?

Because it's free publicity for Bellator, win or lose, and because he doesn't deserve it, and because it wouldn't be a particularly big PPV seller.

I actually kinda like Askren but the guy has done very little to suggest he can challenge GSP.

I said it before, blanket sharpens blanket.

[subd]

Reed Rothchild - 

Pitbull3744 -

Reed Rothchild - Bjorn went all in... And Dana shit the bed

Fuck that why should Askren get a title shot right away

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 that

All we would see is 25 minutes of GSP jabs to the face.
I am interested in Ben's wrestling vs Georges ... but come on you need at least 1 impressive win vs a top 5 ww to be even considered to challenge GSP.

[da_Vinci_81]

Just another attention grab by Bellator to keep their name in the papers.

I wouldn't doubt Bjorn is trying to goad Dana into publicly ragging on Ben as well. He can't be too happy Ben came out and said he wants to go to the UFC so if he can get Dana to shit on him in public he's probably thinking it will help re-sign him.

[Gullivers_Travels]

Dana's probably waiting for Bellator's PPV to bomb so he can pluck whatever talent he wants after Bjorn & Co. go under.

[Brian_J_DSouza]

Chromium -

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.

 

BJ left the UFC for K-1 because Zuffa didn't want to give him a $10,000 raise (this according to BJ). This is me paraphrasing the story from BJ's book:

In fact, the much more favorable pay offered in Japan ($187,500) over the UFC’s typical miserly wages (after the 2004 win against Hughes, Penn was offered $30,000 per fight by the UFC; he was willing to settle for just $40,000 and was rebuffed) was a strong factor in Penn’s decision.

Jens Pulver won the UFC gold at 155 and after two fights, left over a contract dispute (meaning he wanted more money).

 

[ChaosOverkill]

if the UFC agreed to let all of Bellator's champs fight their champions on a card but the UFC got all the profits, you think Bellator would agree?

[dbeedy]

It's a shame we might not get to see him fight in the UFC because of all this bullshit

[lumberjack27]

Reed Rothchild -

Oontyex -

Reed Rothchild -

Reed Rothchild -

Pitbull3744 -

Reed Rothchild - Bjorn went all in... And Dana shit the bed

Fuck that why should Askren get a title shot right away

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 that

GSP

1) throwing away your most successful fighter = going all in ?
2) 2 guys known for boring position based point-fighting decision styles matched against other = fireworks, epic , ftw, rawr!! ???

If Askren wins it's a victory for Bellator and how build fighters

Poop all over Dana's bed

[GrotesK]

Supertranquilo - Bjorn is playing games. Why should Dana let another promotion determine who gets title shots?

This.. And he's a no namer for people outside the USA

[Another_Foob]

JStrongMMA - 

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?

Sounds like he watched the same one I watched. Being unfair to Fitch, imo.

[Oontyex]

Reed Rothchild -

Oontyex -

Reed Rothchild -

Reed Rothchild -

Pitbull3744 -

Reed Rothchild - Bjorn went all in... And Dana shit the bed

Fuck that why should Askren get a title shot right away

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 that

GSP

1) throwing away your most successful fighter = going all in ?
2) 2 guys known for boring position based point-fighting decision styles matched against other = fireworks, epic , ftw, rawr!! ???

If Askren wins it's a victory for Bellator and how build fighters

They've done this before with hector who was coming off a big run there

no one is chalking up his recent win as 'credibility points ' to bellator.

The bellator champ signing to the UFC is win-win for the UFC. If he wins the title, fine you had someone who is good (which doesn't give any credibility to the rest of the roster)..but you don't have him anymore... a promotion who wants to compete with the UFC losing one if their few UFC level guys - to the UFC - is good for them how?
if he loses the title fight, not only do you not have the best guy in your division, but also he wasn't the overall top guy and it highlights - what everyone thinks now - that he's a big fish in a little pond

Spin it how you will, but it's transparent to everyone , that they're dropping a guy that isn't exciting and the 'credibility points' angle is all spin

[turdboy]

Askren you shall deceive.

[ChaosOverkill]

Bucephalus - Askren you shall deceive.

 

Gong!!!! hiyaawwww!

 

[DatSpiderCantCountOnJudges]

Tomato Can - 

dermotfix - 

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?

Because it's free publicity for Bellator, win or lose, and because he doesn't deserve it, and because it wouldn't be a particularly big PPV seller.

I actually kinda like Askren but the guy has done very little to suggest he can challenge GSP.

This

[eljamaiquino]

Chromium -

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.

Barnett wasn't stripped by the AC. Dana just ignored him. At the time the AC didn't have rules to strip titles or overturn results based on a drug test. That's why Barnett still has a win over Couture unlike Diaz vs Homicide.

[12]

the bigger risk would have been if eddie was signed and fought for a tittle and won.he's not even the champ

[Mark_Hunts_Pet_Monkey]

Not UFC's job to legitimize a competing promotion's champion.

Also how many non-hardcores actually know who Askren is? How would this fight even be marketed without Ben first winning a few under the Zuffa banner? It's not like UFC can use Bellator footage.

Dana is right, Bjorn is playing games, and UFC simply has no reason to gamble.

[DatSpiderCantCountOnJudges]

Mark Hunts Pet Monkey - Not UFC's job to legitimize a competing promotion's champion.

Also how many non-hardcores actually know who Askren is? How would this fight even be marketed without Ben first winning a few under the Zuffa banner? It's not like UFC can use Bellator footage.

Dana is right, Bjorn is playing games, and UFC simply has no reason to gamble.

People who don't know Askren likely won't be interested in getting to know him once they find his own promotion were "trying" to give him away, despite Askren being their WW champion.

Bad play all around.

[Phil999]

HandyDarsh - That is a good point that he doesn't want to keep his champion.
Interesting

Yet there was such a stink over them hanging on to Alverez.