Ben Askren calls Justin Bieber a wimp

Count Ben Askren among the parties interested in a potential celebrity showdown between Justin Bieber and Tom Cruise.

Speaking to TMZ, Askren agreed Bieber vs. Cruise would be a big fight for the UFC. And if the fight does come to fruition, Askren has already made his pick.

“I’m going to say Tom Cruise wins. Justin Bieber seems like a wimp,” Ben Askren said. “I’m gonna say Tom Cruise (wins). Like, Tom Cruise at least seems like he’s probably been through some sh*t.”

Askren was asked if he’d watch the fight, and he said he would.

“Someone told me Cruise is a great athlete, I don’t know if that’s true or false,” Ben Askren said. “But you’d watch it, I’d watch it. Fighting’s funny. There’s a lot of sports where if someone sucks, like in basketball, you don’t want to watch them. But there’s something about fighting that if they suck you would still watch.”

In fact, Askren went so far as to say he would even help Cruise train his wrestling for this potential bout.

“All I’d teach him is the double leg takedown and then he’d beat his ass,” Ben Askren said. “Little typewriter action on his face.”

You just knew that Askren — one of the most outspoken personalities on the UFC’s roster — would have a fun time with reporters when prodded about this potential fight. As ridiculous as the notion of Bieber vs. Cruise is, Asken agrees with UFC president Dana White that as ridiculous as the fight is, it’s still a money fight.

“That would make a whole bunch of money,” Askren said.

For now, though, Ben Askren certainly has bigger fish to fry at the moment. The former Bellator and ONE Championship welterweight champion makes his Octagon debut at UFC 239 on July 6 opposite top contender Jorge Masvidal. Should Askren win the fight, he could very well earn a title shot against UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman later this year.

Do you agree with Ben Askren that Tom Cruise would beat Justin Bieber?