American Ben Askren has made a long and distinguished career out of never pulling his punches, both inside and outside of the cage.
The notoriously outspoken fighter boasts a mastery of wrestling that has rarely, if ever, been seen in MMA. He's progressed from NCAA champion to the Olympic stage, conquering Bellator before going on to laud over Asia's ONE Championship welterweight division in an unparalleled reign of dominance.
The man known as "Funky" has left a long line of opponents in his wake who, almost to a man, have been suffocated by his relentless style of grappling.
There's always been an unavoidable sense of 'what if?' across the sport's sphere that the 17-0 fighter has never had a chance to measure his pedigree against those in the UFC, but the man himself has no such regret.
Now 34 years of age and bracing for his retirement bout against Japanese icon Shinya Aoki at ONE Championship: Immortal Pursuit in Singapore on Friday, Askren is content with his decision to ply his trade and close his career out with the burgeoning Asian promotion.
And for one glaring reason, above all others.
"For me, the biggest benefit is not having to work for Dana White. That guy's a freaking scumbag," Askren told Newshub in his typically brash manner.
The former Olympian has shared a long-standing and very public dispute with the UFC president, with White deflecting the demands of fans pleading for his addition to the roster by openly accusing Askren of shying away from the promotion's bright lights.
"Even if he paid me triple what I'm earning here - which would be a boatload of money - I don't know if I could see myself working for him," Askren said.
"He's just a terrible person all-round. For me that would be number one."
A product of famed trainer Duke Roufus from the Roufusports MMA Academy based in Milwaukee, Askren has long mixed amongst some of the promotion's most renowned fighters, including former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis.
He also counts UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley as one of his nearest and dearest friends, the two sharing decorated college careers at the famed Missouri wrestling programme, "eating in the same dining halls, going to the same parties, working out at the same time."
"Everyone else in the UFC feels that way also, because secretly when I'm at UFC events, fighters will say to me 'I love what you say about Dana. He's a freaking scumbag.' But they can't say it because they know they'll feel the wrath."
Many of his compatriots Askren believes are too "American-centric", unwilling to consider the diverse riches that the MMA world beyond the United States has to offer.
"I was a geography student so I knew back when I was studying that they're so focused on themselves," he said.
"You can't see something like Singapore in the United States. When you look at this skyline you're like, 'Oh my god'.
"It doesn't exist in Chicago and New York City. They're so old, there's no expansion or growth. Asia is really coming up."
The Wisconsin native has good reason to feel a certain affinity with the continent. He's been ONE Championship's figurehead for almost five years, spearheading its relatively humble beginnings through its rapid evolution into Asia's premier sports league.
It almost seems a touch odd that someone who's experienced such a wealth of success would retire at what seems to be the peak of his powers. But it's precisely the fashion in which Askren had always envisioned he'd step away, conscious of falling into that cliched trap which has claimed many an outgoing legend.
"I said 2017, I'm done. At the end of 2017 that's it for me. I said I'm not going to end up broke, I'm not going to stay too long. So, I'm out.
"Everyone thinks martial arts is this really noble pursuit, which it can be, especially when you're coming up and trying to make a better life. When you're older, it's freaking selfish. It's so selfish.
"I've got a wife and I've got kids, I can give them more of my time, I can give the kids more of my time, if I wasn't so focused on myself being the best I can be.
"You have to set that boundary for yourself - otherwise, all of a sudden, you're five more years down the road and suck compared to when you were 32. So I said that's absolutely not going to happen to me."
That's not to say there isn't one opponent he wouldn't consider breaking his impending retirement to fight.
While he's departing MMA as the self-proclaimed "greatest welterweight on the face of the planet", the long-mooted prospect of a contest with legendary Canadian Georges St Pierre is something he'd always find time for.
"If someone called me up and said, 'Do you want that?' then yes, I'd probably consider it," he says with a knowing smirk.
But eight years and exactly zero regrets later, Askren is comfortable steeping away from a sport that he's dedicated his life to, secure in the legacy he's leaving at ONE Championship as he prepares to step into an executive role with the organisation.
"I've fought for nine years and I've lost one round. In my life... I've controlled my destiny to the best of my ability.
"I've travelled the world, seen all these places I'd never seen, learned about other cultures. Honestly, it's made me a lot more well-rounded, a lot more knowledgeable about the world. Its benefited me in many ways."
Newshub.
