White: Askren ‘was an amazing trade’ for the UFC

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Dana White remains satisfied with the UFC-ONE Championship trade that brought Ben Askren into the Octagon. In October 2018, the historic trade between the UFC and ONE Championship …

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Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Dana White remains satisfied with the UFC-ONE Championship trade that brought Ben Askren into the Octagon.

In October 2018, the historic trade between the UFC and ONE Championship took place. Former UFC champion Demetrious Johnson headed to South East Asia to compete for the Singapore-based promotion, while Ben Askren headed west for his then long-awaited Octagon debut.

A year after the trade, “Mighty Mouse” has gone 3-0 at ONE Championship, bagging the flyweight title in the process. Askren, on the other hand, is on a 1-2 run.

Given Askren’s skid upon his entry into the UFC, fans are now questioning whether it was a good deal for Dana White and his fellow execs. But for the UFC president, it was still one of the best deals he’d made, so far.

Dana White Ben Askren trade

Askren was on a 19-fight undefeated streak, before he ran into Jorge Masvidal’s flying knee at UFC 239 in July. Over the weekend, he was also stopped by Demian Maia via third-round submission, as he now holds a record of 19-2 (with 1 NC and 12 wins by stoppage).