Report: UFC officially deals Demetrious Johnson for Ben Askren in rare MMA trade

Ladies and gentleman, the biggest trade in mixed martial arts (MMA) history is official.

According to a recent report by ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has officially traded former flyweight champion and pound-for-pound great Demetrious Johnson to ONE Championship for undefeated and recently retired welterweight Ben Askren. The deal was rumored earlier this week but nothing was finalized until now.

As Helwani reports, both fighters are currently under contract with their respective new promotions, although Johnson and Askren are expected to receive new deals. The fact that UFC, ONE, Johnson, and Askren are all happy with the outcome is icing on the cake for the biggest deal in MMA history.

With Johnson’s departure, UFC is losing arguably the greatest fighter of all time. Johnson recently lost his UFC flyweight title in a rematch with Henry Cejudo earlier this year at UFC 227, but had racked off a record 11-straight UFC title defenses before that. Without “Mighty Mouse” at the helm, the UFC’s flyweight division may not have lasted as long as he has.

With Askren’s departure, ONE Championship is losing one of the very best welterweights the sport has seen over the past five years. The 34-year-old veteran is widely considered the best wrestler at 170 pounds and has utilized his elite ground game over the years to amass an undefeated professional record of 18-0 (1 NC). Askren retired from MMA after his win over Japanese legend Shinya Aoki last November, but “Funky” is ready to return to action and test his luck inside the Octagon.

Both Johnson and Askren will not be short on challengers so it will be interesting to see who the two fighters face in their respective debuts.

Stick with Mania for more coverage on the ground-breaking trade