Retired undefeated welterweight Ben Askren foresees a matchup against Georges St-Pierre in Montreal sometime in 2019.
Retired undefeated welterweight Ben Askren has been angling for a fight against two-division UFC champion Georges St-Pierre. With his refusal to fight teammate Tyron Woodley, “Funky” believes facing St-Pierre is a rational move to make.
In a recent interview with MMAjunkie Radio, Askren said he is convinced that a matchup with GSP will end up being made for the next year.
“My main motivation is to prove I’m No. 1 in the world,” Askren said. “I think it will happen, at the Bell Centre (in Montreal). Me vs. ‘GSP,’ probably somewhere in late 2019.”
“I don’t need to make any more money from fighting, and there’s only one thing left to prove. I’ve been No. 1 for the past five years, and I’ve unfortunately never had the chance to prove that fight. It’s the one thing that interests me.”
If the fight does end up being finalized, it would likely take place in the UFC, where St-Pierre fought for the great majority of his career. Askren, of course, has had a sour business relationship with the UFC and company president Dana White over the years, and he expects nothing to change, in terms of that arrangement.
“(My first UFC negotiation) was so dirty, it left such a bad taste in my mouth,” Askren recalled. “I already didn’t want to talk to Dana. I don’t trust a damn word that comes out of his mouth. I don’t trust a word. It’s like, why did I never pursue that again?”
“Well, it’s because the first time I got screwed over – it was just about as dirty a deal as anyone could give you. I don’t want to have that discussion again. I don’t trust them one bit.”
Askren retired from MMA competition in November as the ONE Championship welterweight champion by defeating Shinya Aoki via first-round TKO. He currently holds a record of 18-0 (with one no contest and 11 wins by stoppage).