Ben Askren: UFC Want Me To Lose In Robbie Lawler Fight

Ben Askren believes UFC president Dana White is secretly hoping he loses when he takes on Robbie Lawler.

Askren made headlines last month when he was involved in a groundbreaking trade that saw former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson go the other way to Singapore-based ONE Championship.

He has since called out virtually every welterweight fighter barring the champion Tyron Woodley, who he is not only training partners with, but also very close friends with since they were teenagers.

But despite many wanting to see "Funky" face the likes of Darren Till or Colby Covington, he is instead slated to face former champion Lawler, according to ESPN.

Although not official, Askren himself has spoken openly about Lawler being his next opponent, and ESPN reports it will happen at UFC 233 on Jan. 26 in Anaheim, California.

According to him, it was a strategic move by the UFC brass.

"He's [Lawler] probably the guy in the top five with the best opportunity to beat me," Askren told ESPN. "He has pretty good wrestling and he's obviously a heavy striker. If you want someone to beat me, that's probably the best you'll find."

Lawler is coming off a one-sided decision loss to Rafael dos Anjos last December where he suffered a torn ACL and meniscus during the fight. However, he is certainly one of the most dangerous fighters in the division when healthy.

So why would the UFC, who orchestrated the trade with ONE Championship, want Askren to lose his highly-anticipated debut?

"Come on, man," Askren added. "It's obvious. They don't want me to win. [UFC president Dana White] will deny it, but he should just come out and say, 'I don't like Ben Askren. I think he's a jackass and I want to see him get beat up.' That'd be cool, and I would take no offense to that whatsoever."

There is no secret about White and Askren's personal feud over the years, but it was thought to have cooled down especially since the trade.

Regardless, Askren is excited about finally making his debut, despite wanting to fight someone he genuinely disliked.

"There are a bunch of guys I genuinely dislike that I could have fought," Askren explained. "I actually kinda like Robbie Lawler. I would have preferred someone I don't like, because it would have been so much more fun."

"I think it will be all right, though. It may take away my ability to talk trash, because it would be fake. But Robbie is a former UFC champion, he's really tough. I don't feel the UFC did it wrong at all. I feel it's a good matchup on a good card, the first pay-per-view in the ESPN era, if you will. I was really happy to be put on this card," he said.

Askren eventually hopes beating Lawler and then someone like Covington will put him in line to call out one of Khabib Nurmagomedov or Georges St-Pierre for a super fight.

"And if I beat up two guys, one of whom was a former UFC champion in Robbie, and one of whom was an interim champion in Colby, I think I'll give myself the standing to call out Khabib or Georges St-Pierre. Both of those guys I'd fight right now, but it's not quite realistic yet. When I can call those guys out, I absolutely will," he added.