Morning Report: Demetrious Johnson and Ben Askren focus on who received their well-known commerce, UFC or ONE Championship?

Again in 2018, one of the sudden issues in MMA historical past occurred: the UFC traded former flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson to ONE Championship in trade for former welterweight champion Ben Askren.

It was the primary, and up to now solely, commerce between main MMA promotions and led to a lot debate amongst followers over who “received” the commerce. And 6 years later, the 2 contributors consider there’s a transparent reply.

“My standpoint, I mentioned everyone received,” Johnson informed Askren on his YouTube channel. “I bought to go to ONE Championship, make good cash. You bought to come back to the UFC, get the chance to struggle, see what you can do there. The UFC bought you, which you have been excellent about creating buzz. Your shit-talking was truly clever shit-talking. You’ll be excellent snippets. So if it wasn’t for you, they may not have the rise of Jorge Masvidal with out that flying knee … With out that flying knee you’d by no means have Jorge Masvidal, ‘Road Jesus’ developing, then you definitely wouldn’t have Kamaru Usman, you wouldn’t have Leon Edwards.

“Then you definately have a look at ONE Championship, they’d me, I used to be in a position to struggle, I get knocked out over there to indicate that their competitors is definitely legit. Then I come again and I beat Adriano [Martins]. So I believe, all in all, everyone received. What say you?”

“That’s the fitting reply,” Askren responded. “ONE Championship, the factor that was golden for them is I wasn’t going to struggle. I used to be performed. If you happen to keep within the UFC, I’m assuming you’re going to proceed to struggle, no less than for some time. And in ONE Championship, I used to be legit performed, I wasn’t preventing anymore, in order that they primarily offered an asset that was off marketplace for — you had a five-year run. I believe you’ve performed some grappling matches, you probably did a mixed-rules match, you probably did MMA, you probably did lots of issues over there.

“I believe essentially the most right reply is everyone received. I bought what I wished, you bought what you wished.”

For Askren, the commerce was totally sudden. A former Bellator welterweight champion, “Funky” had quietly hung up the gloves in 2017. Nevertheless, he remained below contract with ONE, and as he explains it, this commerce was precisely the factor that he was ready on to deliver him again.

“I’d given up the title as a result of I retired,” Askren defined. “I mentioned, ‘I’m out.’ So after I retired, I truly didn’t have a lot time left on my contract. However for me, there was no assure the UFC factor was going to work out as a result of it didn’t work out the primary time after I left Bellator in 2013. …

“However I like studying about athletes and the factor I at all times examine athletes is that they at all times retire too late, and so they at all times spend an excessive amount of cash. So after I grew to become knowledgeable athlete it was like, ‘Don’t hold round too lengthy and don’t spend an excessive amount of cash.’ And if you are able to do these issues, you’re most likely going to be alright.

“So I put a time restrict on myself, and in superb circumstances, I most likely would have retired a bit of bit earlier, however I simply by no means bought the chance to struggle within the UFC and my time in ONE Championship, they have been sort of sluggish on fights, sadly. I didn’t struggle for like 15 months or one thing like that. I want I’d have been in a position to struggle extra steadily.

“So I retired and the caveat was, I’ve by no means gotten to struggle anybody ranked increased than me. I believe the highest-ranked particular person I fought was No. 9 and I used to be No. 6. So if I might struggle somebody increased than me I’ll come again as a result of I would like that chance, and I left it at that.

“I by no means thought it could be a commerce as a result of trades don’t occur. I believed possibly ONE would signal somebody actually good after which I’d struggle that particular person, or one thing extra alongside these traces. Or possibly they’d mortgage me out for one thing as a result of that has occurred a number of instances. So when Chatri [Sityodong, ONE CEO] referred to as me and mentioned, ‘Would you be open to a commerce?’ I mentioned, ‘Yeah, I’d be open to a commerce. That’s sort of the one factor I would like.’

“So for me it was easy after which I believe it took a pair months to truly course of it and get it performed, bounce by all of the hurdles, however I used to be in instantly.”

Then again, issues have been a bit of completely different for “Mighty Mouse.” As Johnson recounts, he truly initiated the complete factor as a result of his relationship with the UFC had began to collapse and after dropping his flyweight title to Henry Cejudo at UFC 227, he wished a change.

“I used to be mine and Matt [Hume, Johnson’s coach and ONE vice President]’s sort of,” Johnson mentioned. “My complete whole profession within the UFC was at all times, ‘You don’t promote sufficient pay-per-views’ or ‘We wish you to go up and struggle T.J. Dillashaw for a superfight’ and I’m like, I’ll go struggle T.J. for the fitting cash. Give me 1,000,000 {dollars}, and I’ll struggle him. What’s the purpose of getting a superfight if there’s no incentive concerned in it? …

“I felt that if an asset isn’t bringing in sufficient cash that it ought to, then they wished to eliminate it, which I perceive. So at the moment they have been fascinated about eliminating the division. … So when that’s occurring, it’s like, why do I wish to be someplace the place I’m the cool child on the celebration however no person desires to hang around with me? Why not go someplace the place they’re going to understand me. In order that’s what sparked that.

“Even after I misplaced to Henry Cejudo, I used to be very upset, very distraught, very pissed off. However after I bought house I used to be like, OK, we’ve bought to begin fascinated about what group goes to worth my skillset on the highest degree? I believed that was ONE Championship and it turned out to be true. …

“I believe it was one of the best determination I made in my profession. If I needed to do it over once more, I’d do it 1,000 instances over once more.”

Johnson went on to have a really productive profession in ONE, profitable the promotion’s flyweight Grand Prix in 2019 and the flyweight title in 2022 earlier than retiring this yr. Askren didn’t fare as properly within the UFC, profitable his debut bout towards Robbie Lawler earlier than struggling back-to-back losses to Jorge Masvidal and Demian Maia, prompting his retirement from MMA after only one yr with the promotion.

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Assist out.

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I’m with DJ and Askren. It might be uncommon for trades to actually be a win-win, however I actually suppose that’s the case with this one. DJ and Askren bought what they wished, the UFC didn’t wish to him anymore and bought a star they did need, and ONE bought what they wanted. I believe in the event you requested everybody concerned they’d all fortunately make that commerce once more. — Meshew

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