It took a village to arrange for the first major trade in MMA history.
When it was first reported that UFC flyweight great Demetrious Johnson and unbeaten ONE Championship welterweight champion Ben Askren were being swapped by their respective promotions, media and fans were left wondering how and why such a deal was made. The former question has a relatively simple answer, as it appears that it was only a matter of the fighters’ employers agreeing to relinquish the rights to their athletes (both of whom had fights remaining on their contracts) so that they might sign elsewhere.