Ben Askren a heel or hero with UFC president Dana White? 'You never know'

LAS VEGAS – Ben Askren’s last text with UFC president Dana White was March 16. He checked.

In other words, the two aren’t any more interactive than most on the promotion’s roster. But like any fighter who’s gone a few rounds in the media with White, Askren’s relationship with the executive remains the subject of great intrigue.

Askren (19-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has played with that as he’s gone from curious outsider to potential UFC welterweight title challenger. He joked about White trying to sabotage his career and forced a raised hand at a media day ahead of his fight with Jorge Masvidal (33-13 MMA, 10-6 UFC) on Saturday at UFC 239.

It’s all in good fun, though. Askren said in reality has no idea whether he’s won over the UFC boss.

“You never know,” he told MMA Junkie at UFC 239 media day on Thursday. “You could go back on the bad side real quick. You never know.”

History backs up Askren’s claim. Fighters whose interests clash with White’s demands frequently get frozen out. Askren keeps going nonetheless, winning over fans who might not have been paying attention when he was fighting in Bellator early in his career or overseas in ONE Championship.

Things have been breaking his way lately, however, and the undefeated fighter sees no reason to let up.

Askren predicted he’d still have a shot at the title despite ex-interim champ Colby Covington getting promised the next shot, and he might right. Covington faces Robbie Lawler at UFC on ESPN 4 in August and a loss or poor performance would take him out of the running to challenge 170-pound king Kamaru Usman.

“Sometimes you feel the vibes of things going on, and that’s what it felt like to me,” Askren said.

So far, Askren is doing a strong job of reading the room. Whether White is there to help or hurt, he’s got no idea. But Askren plans to continue winning fights under the UFC banner.

For more on UFC 239, check out the UFC schedule.