ONE FC Champ Ben Askren Livid With Dana White Over CM Punk UFC Signing

The hardcore MMA fanbase is up in arms over the UFC signing of CM Punk. Visit the comments section of many of the major MMA sites and you'll see some pretty passionate fans questioning the signing of a fighter with no pro experience and limited mixed martial arts training by the world's premier MMA promotion. At a time when they're trying to be taken seriously as a sport, UFC have perhaps blundered with Punk. So, as a disclaimer, yes, the signing of Punk is for spectacle, not sport. However, as much as it's important for the sport of mixed martial arts to be taken seriously, the company - Zuffa and all its holdings - needs to make money. And with CM Punk comes money, thanks to his legion of WWE fans. That's not a condemnation of CM Punk or the UFC either. In Punk's position most of us would do the same. He's also been humble about it, stating that he knows he needs to put in the work. He's making every effort to start off on the right foot. One person especially has been rubbed the wrong way, however: former Bellator and current ONE FC welterweight champion Ben Askren, an undefeated fighter with a top-notch amateur wrestling background who trains in the same camp as UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis. Askren posted the above image to his twitter, a reference to his own dealings with the UFC, and an obvious shot at the Punk signing. After Askren walked from Bellator as their champ (Bellator showed little interest in re-signing him, a possible ploy to tank his value to the UFC), he had a meeting with Dana White that resulted in White telling him to take a fight against some "real" competition in the WSOF. Askren instead opted to sign with the growing ONE FC promotion in Asia, who was able to pay the wrestler solid money and feature him as one of their top stars. He has traded barbs with White ever since. His continued success - he became ONE FC champion in short order - has proved that the UFC's judgement was questionable, and many hardcore fans believe that he should have been signed to fight the likes of Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler. That's not what happened, however, and now, seeing Punk signed with no experience, Askren is livid. On his official twitter, Askren had the following to say:

All you dummies believed @danawhite when he said I need more experience. Then he signs a 0-0 fake wrestler. LOL on you

Askren has always been outspoken, but in this case, he is echoing a lot of the MMA fanbase.