Looks like Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney has made up his mind it comes to Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Not even 24 hours after making the claim that he would let Askren go from Bellator if the UFC were to grant him an immediate title shot, Rebney is back in the media openly wondering why the UFC hasn't yet responded.
He spoke with Sherdog late Friday night to discuss the current situation with Askren.
"We'll see what they do. I've heard no response from them at all, which is unusual and an anomaly. I think it puts them in a difficult spot to claim the best fighters fight in the UFC."
Mind you, his "offer" was ridiculous to begin with.
This is the very definition of gamesmanship but it's a poor attempt at it. Rebney is trying to set the UFC up for a lose-lose situation. If they go ahead with offering Askren an immediate title shot, then Rebney knows that he can use the media to get what he wants.
And if they refuse to respond? Well that makes the UFC scared to pit its champion against the undefeated Bellator champion. Rebney would have the ability to speak about it at length with anyone who would be willing to listen.
The biggest loser in all of this? It's Askren. He's being used as a pawn in the ongoing media battle between Bellator and the UFC. The UFC isn't keen on dealing with Bellator's matching period after its failure to sign Eddie Alvarez. Which means Askren could be sidelined until August 2014.
As Rebney continues to push the UFC into this corner, it's becoming clearer and clearer that his intention is to either retain Askren's services for cheap or to embarrass the UFC into picking up a champion that has failed to connect with fans.