Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White is finally warming up to the idea of signing former Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren, after passing on the opportunity to grab the "Funky" free agent earlier this year (because of this).

"I think if he keeps winning, he could get a shot over here," White said during the UFC 177 media scrum (watch it here). Ben Askren said a lot of stupid shit when he left, but I don’t care about stuff like that. We’ll see how the kid fights, what he keeps doing, and we’ll go from there."

Askren caught wind of the comments and offered this heartfelt reply:

Oh thank you master @danawhite can I please have a shot — Ben Askren (@Benaskren) August 31, 2014

While an eventual union seems unlikely, White referenced his relationship with former light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz, and insists he'll always do what's best for business, despite his personal feelings (lol).

Askren (14-0) has since hooked up with ONE FC in Asia and quickly racked up two first-round finishes, one by submission and the other by technical knockout (watch it). In fact, the Olympian now has four straight finishes, which goes a long way in silencing the critics who labeled him a one-dimensional wrestler.

But can he do it against UFC-caliber competition? That remains to be seen.