Tag: Ben Rothwell

Ben Rothwell interested in fighting Francis Ngannou in PFL: ‘That’s a legacy fight’

Ben Rothwell would love to throw down with Francis Ngannou in PFL.

[autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] is happy with his path down the bareknuckle boxing route, but he wouldn’t mind taking a detour back into MMA.

The former UFC contender and long-time MMA veteran is interested in fighting [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] in PFL. Rothwell thinks that would be a giant fight for his legacy and one that would definitely get him back into MMA, as few would at this stage in his career.

“If I got offered to fight Francis Ngannou, we would have a serious sit down with everybody involved because that’s the kind of fight that I think anybody, any of the guys in my position would want to take,” Rothwell told MMA Junkie Radio. “I can’t speak for them, but I 100 percent would take that fight, yes. Indeed. It’s one of those fights that’s a legacy fight.”

Rothwell fought for the UFC from 2009-21. He competed alongside Ngannou in the heavyweight division, but never crossed paths. Ngannou went on to win the UFC belt and then fight out his contract as champion to sign with PFL and pursue a career in boxing. Ngannou recently shocked the world by going the distance with WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, losing a controversial split decision.

Rothwell thought Ngannou did well and was proud to see him find success in the boxing world. However, selfishly, he does think that success makes an MMA fight against him unlikely.

“Francis did so good in his boxing match that I think that got really pulled away at this time,” Rothwell said. “They’re talking about trying to match him up with other boxers to do MMA and stuff like that. He’s going to get pulled away to a totally different direction in that world. They’re already talking about him and Tyson Fury having a rematch, so it sounds like he’s got his hands full, but something like that would be fun to come back to, but outside that I’m having a lot of fun with BKFC and I got plenty to do here.”

Rothwell, who’s 2-0 since transitioning to BKFC, returns to the ring on Dec. 2. He takes on former UFC heavyweight Todd Duffee in the co-main event of BKFC 56.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420038933]

Video: BKFC 56 pre-fight press conference live stream

Watch the BKFC 56 pre-fight press conference live, featuring Eddie Alvarez, Mike Perry and many others.

The BKFC 56 pre-fight press conference takes place Thursday, and you can watch a live stream of the event right here on MMA Junkie beginning at 4 p.m. ET (1 p.m. PT).

The event features seven UFC veterans on the main card and three title fights. Expected to participate in the press conference are main eventers, former UFC champion [autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag] and [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag]. Also, at the press conference will be co-main heavyweights [autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] and [autotag]Todd Duffee[/autotag], along with BKFC president David Feldman.

BKFC 56 takes place Saturday, Dec. 2 at Maverik Center in Salt Lake City. The main card airs on FITE and the BKFC App.

[lawrence-related id=2690752,2690608]

BKFC 41 results and live stream

Check out the live results for BKFC 41, headlined by Mike Perry vs. Luke Rockhold, as well as a preliminary card stream here.

BKFC 41 takes place Saturday at 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, Colo. and some big names from the world of MMA will square off – without gloves.

The main card begins at 9 p.m. ET and is available for purchase on FITE TV. Three prelim bouts will be live-streamed for free, beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

The event is headlined by former UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag] makes his bareknuckle debut as he battles fan-favorite [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag].

In the co-main event, former UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag] fights former UFC featherweight title challenger [autotag]Chad Mendes[/autotag].

BKFC champion [autotag]Christine Ferea[/autotag] puts her title on the line against former UFC and Bellator fighter [autotag]Bec Rawlings[/autotag]. Also, former UFC heavyweights [autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] and [autotag]Josh Copeland[/autotag] throw down on the main card.

Check out the full results below, as well as a live and free stream of the prelims above.

BKFC 41 video: Ben Rothwell forces UFC veteran Josh Copeland’s corner to throw in towel after third

Ben Rothwell stopped fellow UFC veteran Josh Copeland after his corner threw in the towel at BKFC 41.

Former UFC heavyweight [autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] continues to have success in bareknuckle boxing.

On the main card of BKFC 41 at 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, Colo., Rothwell stepped into the bareknuckle ring for the second time, to take on fellow UFC veteran Josh Copeland. Both men would leave the ring bloodied, brusied, and swollen, but it would we be Copeland’s corner that called for a stop to the bout after the third round.

Copeland had success early. He busted open a cut under Rothwell’s right eye by landing a right hand within seconds of the fight starting. The two big heavyweights traded hard punches throughout the round. The overhands from Copeland gave Rothwell trouble, but he was able to score with uppercuts and short shots in the clinch.

In the second, Rothwell found the opening he needed to drop Copeland. After beating the count, Rothwell continued to pour on the pressure as the round continued. Copeland was covered up against the ropes when the round concluded.

Rothwell continued his success in the third, but added hard punches to the body to his repertoire. Short punches in the clinch were key for Rothwell, as Copeland didn’t show urgency to escape the position, and essentially just ate damaging strikes until the round concluded.

Between rounds, Copeland’s corner saw enough and threw in the towel to prevent their fighter from taking any further damage.

During his post-fight interview, Rothwell asked the crowd if they wanted to see him take on BKFC heavyweight champion Alan Belcher. The response was loud, and Rothwell told Belcher to fight him or hand over the belt.

After exiting the UFC after 17 fights, Rothwell made his bareknuckle debut at BKFC 30 in October, where he made quick work of Bobo O’Bannon, winning by knockout in just 19 seconds.

[vertical-gallery id=2638706]

UFC veterans in MMA, boxing and bareknuckle action April 27-30

Check out which UFC veterans are in combat sports action across the globe this weekend.

This week, the UFC is back in Las Vegas at the UFC Apex for a key bantamweight bout. In the main event, [autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag] takes on [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] in a fight scheduled for five rounds.

Elsewhere, many other MMA, boxing and bareknuckle events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.

This weekend, there are a total of 24 veterans of the global MMA leader competing in MMA and boxing this week from April 21-23.

Check out the names and details about their bouts below.

Upcoming event information from Tapology.

Training at Team Elevation, Ben Rothwell not worried about cardio issues for BKFC 41 return in Denver

Training at Team Elevation, Ben Rothwell is confident cardio won’t be a problem in his return at Saturday’s BKFC 41 in Denver.

[autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] can breathe easy heading into his return to bareknuckle boxing.

Fighting in Denver may be worrisome to many, given it’s over 5,000 feet above sea level, but not for Rothwell. Ahead of his BKFC 41 bout against Josh Copeland, the former UFC heavyweight contender took his training camp to Team Elevation in Denver to make sure he’s acclimated to the altitude.

This has brought Rothwell a new level of confidence, as he promises cardio won’t be an issue this Saturday.

“The training partners that I had, to my pleasant surprise, were really surprised with how good my cardio was, and I had guys rotating in on me,” Rothwell told MMA Junkie Radio. “I went to a gym, and they put me in the middle and had three guys come in on me, and I handled it very well. They were like, ‘Wow, you did really good.’ I did feel it and I didn’t do as much as I normally did, so I knew that I was like not doing my best. So I was just kind of like, ‘Cool, I’m glad you guys think so,’ but as the weeks went on, that all changed and I really got into my groove.

“I can pretty much go until everyone was done. I’m feeling really good.”

[lawrence-related id=2586184]

Rothwell was originally scheduled to fight Josh Watson, who came to fame after knocking out ex-NFL star and UFC veteran Greg Hardy earlier this year.

Rothwell doesn’t mind the opponent change and sees Copeland, although a short-notice replacement, as a formidable foe.

“The day before the press conference, he sent a message, ‘I never agreed to fight in Denver,'” Rothwell said regarding the opponent change. “I don’t think he made the promotion very happy. What kind of excuse is that? He kind of blamed the promotion. It’s silly. It kind of leads me to believe that he didn’t really want to take the fight to be honest. I don’t care. He has to live with it. I’m here to fight.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420038933]

Video: Watch Tuesday’s BKFC 41 news conference live

Check out the BKFC 41 pre-fight news conference live from Las Vegas featuring Luke Rockhold, Mike Perry, Eddie Alvarez, and more.

LAS VEGAS – BKFC 41 is a little over three weeks away but the fighters with top billing will meet face-to-face Tuesday.

MMA Junkie is on site at Palms Casino Resort where a news conference takes place featuring former UFC fighters [autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag], [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag], [autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag], [autotag]Chad Mendes[/autotag], and [autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag], as well as BKFC women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Christine Ferea[/autotag] and BKFC president David Feldman.

Tuesday’s news conference kicks off at 3 p.m. ET with MMA legend [autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] as host.

BKFC 41 takes place April 29 at 1STBANK Center in Denver. The main card will stream online on FITE TV with a $49.99 price point.

Watch a live stream of the event via the promotion’s feed above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for BKFC 41.

Ben Rothwell gets second bareknuckle assignment: Josh Watson at BKFC 41

Ben Rothwell has his second bareknuckle assignment. He’ll face noted spoiler Josh Watson at BKFC 41 near Denver.

Former UFC fighter [autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] has his second BKFC bout on the books and it’s against a heavyweight with a knack of playing spoiler.

The fourth added fight to BKFC 41 is Rothwell vs. [autotag]Josh Watson[/autotag], the fighter who recently knocked out former NFL star Greg Hardy at Knuckle Mania 3 in February. The promotion recently announced the new booking.

BKFC 41 takes place April 29 at 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, Colo., just outside Denver and streams on FITE.

Rothwell, 41, signed with BKFC in early 2022 after the UFC granted his release. He made his bareknuckle debut at BKFC 30 this past October and beat Bobo O’Bannon with a 19-second knockout.

Watson, 40, has competed in professional martial arts since 2007. He’s 2-1 in bareknuckle boxing and told MMA Junkie following his win over Hardy that his next fight could be his final unless the promotion heads to his home state of Maine.

With the addition, the BKFC 41 lineup includes:

  • Mike Perry vs. Luke Rockhold
  • Eddie Alvarez vs. Chad Mendes
  • Bec Rawlings vs. Christine Ferea – for women’s flyweight title
  • Ben Rottwell vs. Josh Watson

Ben Rothwell hopes Francis Ngannou lands big fights after UFC exit: ‘It’s going to help all the fighters’

Ben Rothwell is happy Francis Ngannou stood up to the UFC, and would welcome him to BKFC if he chose that path.

Former UFC heavyweight turned BKFC fighter [autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] hopes [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] gets everything he’s aiming for after walking away from the promotion.

Ngannou, now-former UFC heavyweight champion, could not come to terms with the promotion on a new contract. He had a few requests at the negotiation table beyond monetary compensation, which included health insurance, sponsorship, and a fighter advocate, which were not accepted, resulting in the two parties going their separate ways.

“I don’t think anybody’s seen UFC losing its heavyweight champion,” Rothwell told MMA Junkie Radio. “Never happened before, right? Francis got to come out and say, ‘Hey, I was asking for these things.’ Francis a little bit started a fighter union here, man.”

Since his departure, Ngannou said there have been a number of MMA promotions reaching out to secure his services, while hoping to land a massive boxing match against Tyson Fury.

[lawrence-related id=2612206,2612030]

BKFC president David Feldman has also made a play to get a piece of the Ngannou action. If a deal were to come together for Ngannou to fight in bareknuckle boxing, Rothwell said he would be eager to take that fight, even if he knows the public and the sportsbooks would have him as a sizable underdog.

“I’m probably the only one crazy enough to fight Francis bareknuckle,” Rothwell said. “As long as we get paid and have fun, I know the fans would love it. I know I can give a good fight. It’s exciting times.”

On the heels of his 19-second knockout debut win with the promotion in October, Rothwell teased that BKFC has something big on the horizon for him in the coming months, including a matchup against a “big name” opponent. While may be unlikely that Ngannou will be a part of the equation, Rothwell is happy to see one of his fighting peers stand up for what he believes is right.

“What was cool to see is Francis said, ‘I don’t care. I ain’t going to just sign my life away, and you’re not going to continue to tell me what to do,'” Rothwell said. “I think it’s pretty cool that outside there are some opportunities that obviously lured him to do what he’s doing.

“God bless him and I hope he lands it, because it’s only going to help the entire community. That’s what I see. Everything that’s happening, it’s going to help me, all the other organizations, it’s going to help all the fighters.”

[listicle id=2612350]

[listicle id=1759835]

10 best non-MMA wins for UFC veterans in 2022

Check out which UFC veterans impressed outside of MMA competition in 2022.

Throughout the year, we have seen a number of UFC veterans compete in other combat sports across the world.

Since MMA encompasses a variety of martial arts, it is always interesting when MMA fighters who have competed on the largest stage try their hand at a specific combat sports discipline.

From bareknuckle boxing, traditional gloved boxing, to mixed rules contests, these UFC vets turned in impressive performances outside of MMA competition.

Scroll below to see who got our attention away from the cage in 2022 with impressive wins.