Here’s What ‘Funky’ Ben Askren Had To Say About Dillon Danis’ Call Out


Former Bellator Welterweight Champion “Funky” Ben Askren has heard Dillon Danis’ call out, and needless to say, he’s not interested.

“He realizes this isn’t reality so he feels safe doing so,” Askren said on Twitter. “Maybe he should fight someone with a winning record first.”

Dillon’s opponent, Kyle Walker, was indeed riding a two-fight losing streak when the two clashed at Bellator 198. Furthermore, both of those losses came by way of submission, making it reasonable to speculate that Bellator was feeding Walker to Danis, who is a multiple-time IBJJF Champion.

Ben Askren, however, would certainly prove to be a tougher fish to fry for the young Danis. Askren is a BJJ black belt and former Olympic wrestler who is famous for dominating his opponents on the ground. While this has led many to criticize him for being “boring” (a charge also leveled against the UFC’s former Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre), there can be no doubt that Askren is one of the most dominant grapplers in mixed martial arts.

Unfortunately, a fight between Dillon Danis and Ben Askren looks unlikely. In a post fight press scrum, Bellator President Scott Coker said he didn’t think Ben wanted to fight:

“I think he wants to fight one more fight and be done with it. That’s what I understand,” Coker said.

Coker also said he wanted “fighters that are going to be here fighting,” and pointed out that Funky is still under contract with another promotion.

Askren also has a point: giving a brand new fighter a match against an undefeated two-promotion champion is ridiculous. Dillon Danis has certainly proven himself on the BJJ mats, but he has yet to show the world that he is an equally dominant force in the cage.

He is off to a good start, though.


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