Ben Askren is a huge name in Bellator, but joining the UFC right now in his career is not smart. If Bellator loses one of their best fighters, draws will go down and the division will drop. No offense to Bellator’s welterweight division, but Askren is their face, and there is no one that is going to dominate like he does or even replace him.
If Askren chooses to join the UFC, he will be fed to the wolves. He is a dominate wrestler, but how will he really fare against top competition? Askren needs to stay in Bellator, keep his money, beat guys up, and keep thinking he is the best.
That way by the time he actually reaches the UFC, he will be ready to face the UFC welterweight lions. The UFC’s welterweight division is too stacked right now for a big name like Askren. Askren has so much time left in his career. There is no need to rush something that is bad for everybody.
A lot of fans remember the WEC (World of Extreme Cagefighting) and their face at the time was Urijah Faber. Faber ran the featherweight division and really helped make the brand. Askren (plus others, Curran, Chandler) is doing the same thing for Bellator.
Losing Askren right now would really hurt them. The problem is, by the time Faber got to the UFC, it was too late. Askren is still young and could easily fight 4 or 5 more times for the Bellator brand before joining the UFC. I guess the big question will come down to who can pay him the bigger paycheck? It sucks, but money does matter.