Ben Askren Rips Conor McGregor; Calls out Nate and Nick Diaz for Handicap Fight

MMA star Ben Askren said Conor McGregor is too rich to risk a fight with him and that he'd be willing to take on both Nate and Nick Diaz in a handicap bout. 

Askren made the remarks on Twitter on Friday:

The 34-year-old is undefeated as a professional fighter and is the former ONE welterweight champion.

It was recently reported by Ariel Helwani of ESPN that the UFC and ONE are interested in a trade that would see Askren move to the UFC, with Demetrious Johnson heading to ONE in return.

Since the speculation, Askren's Twitter account has been abuzz with activity, as he went about calling out a number of big names, including Khabib Nurmagomedov, who recently beat McGregor at UFC 229, and welterweight icon Georges St-Pierre.

Marc Raimondi of MMA Fighting has enjoyed the brash approach taken by Askren:

A former Olympic and NCAA wrestler, Askren has won 18 of his professional MMA outings, with the other ending in a no contest.

McGregor's next move in the sport remains to be seen following his loss to Nurmagomedov. The Irishman was well beaten in the contest and was eventually forced to submit in the fourth round of the bout.

Nate Diaz's last fight was against McGregor at UFC 202 in August 2016. The former lost a majority decision that night, although he did beat the Notorious five months earlier; he was expected to return to action at UFC 230 against Dustin Poirier, but the fight was scrapped after Diaz's girlfriend gave birth.

Nick Diaz, meanwhile, has been out of action since 2015. He lost a unanimous decision to Anderson Silva on the night, but the fight was eventually ruled a no-contest after both men tested positive for banned substances.