Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White promised that Ben Askren would be given a top-five welterweight in his debut and delivered, with Askren now scheduled to fight No. 5-ranked former champion Robbie Lawler at UFC 233 in January.
The undefeated Askren put the welterweight division on notice when the UFC announced they had signed him as part of a swap deal with former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson who is heading over to One Championship, needling multiple fighters on social media and calling out recent title challenger Darren Till specifically.