Ben Askren may not have a home in Bellator or the UFC, but World Series of Fighting is interested in him.
Ali Abdel-Azziz, WSOF executive vice president and matchmaker, told MMAFighting.com, moments after UFC president Dana White announced he had no intention of signing the now former Bellator welterweight champion, that the promotion has already extended an offer to Askren’s management team. Abdel-Aziz wouldn’t specify the terms of the deal and said Team Askren has yet to accept the offer.
Bellator announced Thursday morning that they had released Askren and waived any matching rights, making “Funky” an unrestricted free agent. Askren (12-0) has expressed a strong desire to sign with the UFC recently but that now appears to be a long shot.
“He barely beat Jay Hieron, you know?” White said. “He’s got some work to do. He can fight in another organization and work his way up and go from there.”
That journey could start in WSOF.