Recently UFC star Ben Askren riled up the XRP Army by calling the third biggest cryptocurrency a scam on Twitter.
I think XRP is a scam https://t.co/ye3E53dM3E
— Ben Askren (@Benaskren) January 28, 2020
His tweet almost instantly went viral with more than 1,800 likes at the press time and instigated another war between different crypto camps.
Ben Askren is an American retired professional mixed martial artist and former Olympic wrestler. He was a former ONE Welterweight Champion and former Bellator Welterweight Champion. He also competed in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship).
Ben Askren
While some Bitcoiners were having a field day, XRP fans didn’t hesitate to take personal jabs at Askren. Some of them went as low as comparing the speed of XRP to Askren getting knocked out by his bitter rival, Jorge Masvidal.
However, more level-headed XRP holders saw Askren’s mention as an opportunity for more mainstream exposure. Even those who weren’t following XRP could come to their own conclusion.
Askren also showed interest in Litecoin and gave a shout-out to the Litecoin community for supporting him in UFC. He said at that time,
“I’m especially honored to represent you guys, because you are a cause and something I believe in. Obviously, I hold a lot of Litecoin myself. I think it’s especially great when not just that I get a sponsorship, but when I get one that I believe in and that I think can help make a better future. And I think that all of you guys see that vision as well.”
Litecoin’s partnership with Askren has been part of its marketing campaign for the mainstream adoption of LTC.
Just got to talk to the man @SatoshiLite !!!! Awesome vision and passion, can’t wait to see him push LTC forward.
— Ben Askren (@Benaskren) December 7, 2018
Tone Vays: Everything about XRP is bad
Askren is not the only one who has voiced such an opinion about XRP, Tone Vays — a former Wall Street trader turned Bitcoin analyst — said the following in an interview BlockTV:
The Ripple token itself has absolutely no place. It is now, more than ever before, just a security of the Ripple corporation… Everything about XRP is bad.
He even distinctly called XRP a “scam coin” on one occasion. As to why this is the case, the prominent commentator has cited a number of things, such as his sentiment that Ripple Labs created the company, XRP has a utility that is “completely fictional,” XRP is unregulated security and is “not decentralized,” and much more.
The SEC is bringing Thor’s Hammer… The next #Bitcoin Law Review is gonna be epic… Come at me $XRP Army “of the Brain Dead” your scam coin should never have existed #Ripple Corp! pic.twitter.com/MX03F9QMqA
— Tone Vays [Vegas – Unconfiscatable.com] (@ToneVays) August 14, 2019
The scam argument recently gained more steam with news that Ripple has an intent to list its shares on public exchanges. Though, far from everyone is convinced Ripple’s intent to list shares on public exchanges automatically makes XRP a scam or a useless asset.
Read more:
- Chainalysis: Hackers Becoming More Advanced As Crypto Exchanges Upgrading Its Security
- US Citizens Can Now Receive Their Federal And State Tax Refunds In ETH, XRP And BCH By Refundo