JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – With his victory at UFC on ESPN+ 29, [autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] has now won back-to-back fights.
The UFC heavyweight is wasting no time trying to make it three-for-three – and he already has a potential next opponent in mind. On the microphone following his split decision win over Ovince Saint Preux on Wednesday, Rothwell grabbed the microphone and politely challenged [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag].
Why does Rothwell (38-12 MMA, 8-6 UFC) want to face the Russian submission specialist Oleinik (59-13-1 MMA, 8-4 UFC)? He explained the move at the post-fight press conference following the event.
“He beat Werdum,” Rothwell told reporters, including MMA Junkie. “It was a big win for him. Congratulations to him. He did a great job. Not only that, but he fought exciting. He came out throwing hammers. I just think that’d be a great fight (between) two older guys. He didn’t look like he was busted up – and he’s older, too. I think he’s somebody like me who wants to get in there again. Hopefully we can make that fight this summer.”
While Rothwell picked up the victory against Saint Preux (24-14 MMA, 12-9 UFC), he voiced some disappointment in his performance. However, his struggles are not unattributed. Rothwell was originally scheduled to fight April 18 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic fouling up the UFC’s schedule. The delay in returning to action caused him some issues, Rothwell admitted.
“This month of April was hell on me,” Rothwell said. “I was hurting in that fight – just inside. We overtrained. I was ready for April 18. This was a gutted performance right here. Some of those shots got through and I felt him wilt. I feel like a healthy version of me, I can finish that in the first or second round. That’s why I’m disappointed. The first split decision in the UFC. It’s only the second in my career.”
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Check out the full UFC on ESPN+29 post-fight media scrum with Ben Rothwell in the video above.
UFC on ESPN+ 29 took place Wednesday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The card streamed on ESPN+.
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