Ben Rothwell – Page 7 – Syndication Server

UFC on ESPN+ 29 predictions: Is anyone picking Glover Teixeira over Anthony Smith?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC on ESPN+ 29 main card in Jacksonville, Fla., featuring Anthony Smith vs. Glover Teixeira.

	Smith vs. Teixeira	Rothwell vs. Saint Preux	Dober vs. Hernandez	Borg vs. Simon	Roberson vs. Vettori
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2020: 41-23	Smith (82%)	Saint Pruex (61%)	Dober (52%)	Borg (51%)	Vettori (64%)
Nolan King @mma_kings 2020: 49-15	Smith	Saint Pruex	Dober	Simon	Vettori
Brian Garcia @thegoze 2020: 48-16 2017 Champion	Smith	Rothwell	Hernandez	Simon	Vettori
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2020: 48-16	Smith	Saint Pruex	Dober	Simon	Vettori
Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2020: 48-16	Smith	Rothwell	Dober	Borg	Vettori
Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2020: 47-17 2014 Champion	Smith	Rothwell	Hernandez	Borg	Roberson
Simon Head @simonhead 2020: 47-17 2019 Champion*	Smith	Rothwell	Hernandez	Borg	Vettori
John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2020: 47-17	Smith	Rothwell	Hernandez	Borg	Vettori
Simon Samano @SJSamano 2020: 47-17	Smith	Saint Pruex	Hernandez	Simon	Vettori
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2020: 46-18 2018 Champion	Smith	Saint Pruex	Dober	Borg	Vettori
Dave Doyle @davedoylemma 2020: 45-19	Smith	Rothwell	Hernandez	Borg	Roberson
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2020: 44-20	Smith	Rothwell	Dober	Borg	Roberson
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2020: 43-21	Smith	Rothwell	Hernandez	Borg	Vettori
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2020: 38-26	Smith	Saint Pruex	Dober	Simon	Vettori
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2020: 29-35	Smith	Saint Pruex	Dober	Simon	Roberson

The UFC is back with a quick turnaround for its second of three shows in eight days in Florida.

UFC on ESPN+ 29 takes place Wednesday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The card streams on ESPN+. The event is closed to fans, but the fights still will take place and will be broadcast with essential personnel on site.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

[lawrence-related id=517737,517691]

In the main event, [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] (33-14 MMA, 8-4 UFC) takes on fellow former light heavyweight title challenger [autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag] (30-7 MMA, 13-5 UFC) for the opportunity to stay in contention in the division. Smith is a slight favorite in the fight, but he’s the only unanimous pick on the five-fight main card from our 14 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts.

In the co-main event, [autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] (37-12 MMA, 7-6 UFC) meets [autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag] (24-13 MMA, 12-8 UFC), who is moving up to heavyweight from 205 pounds for the first time. Saint Preux is a slight favorite in the fight, but it’s Rothwell with an 8-6 lead in the picks from our staff members.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag] (22-9 MMA, 8-5 UFC) is a mild favorite in his lightweight fight against [autotag]Alexander Hernandez[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC). But in the picks, it’s split right down the middle at 7-7.

[autotag]Ray Borg[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) often struggled to make the flyweight limit, so the UFC forced his hand to move up to bantamweight to take on [autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC). Simon is the favorite, but Borg has the slimmest of leads from our pickers at 8-6.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] (14-3-1 MMA, 4-2-1 UFC) is a small favorite at middleweight against [autotag]Karl Roberson[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC), but he’s the second biggest favorite on the main card among our pickers with a big 10-4 lead.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Smith (82 percent), Saint Preux (61 percent), Dober (52 percent), Borg (51 percent) and Vettori (64 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

[vertical-gallery id=391998]

UFC on ESPN+ 29: Ben Rothwell vs. Ovince Saint Preux odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN+ 29 fight between Ben Rothwell and Ovince Saint Preux, with MMA betting odds, picks, tips and bets.

[jwplayer ZeQosOyN]

Ben Rothwell and Ovince Saint Preux mix it up in a heavyweight bout on the main card at UFC on ESPN+ 29 – also known as ESPN Fight Night 171 – at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The card kicks off Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+.

Rothwell (37-12) looks to keep things going in the right direction after snapping a three-bout skid with a Round 2 KO/TKO over Stefan Struve Dec. 7, 2019. The heavyweight had suffered three straight unanimous decision setbacks to Junior Dos Santos, Blagoy Ivanov and Andrei Arlovski between April 10, 2016 to July 20, 2019, and apparently vowed not to leave his fate in the hands of the judges against Struve. Can we expect him to be a lot more proactive again Wednesday? Each of his past six wins at the UFC level have come via either submission or KO/TKO.

Saint Preux (24-13) moves up from light heavyweight to the heavy division for this one. He is coming off a Round 2 submission win vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk Sept. 28, 2019. Saint Preux doesn’t waste a lot of time in his fights, and also doesn’t like to leave it up to the judges, as four of his past five fights have ended in submissions (2-2). He owns a 1.34 takedown average and 40.35 takedown-accuracy percentage. In fact, seven of his previous eight fights at the UFC level have finished inside the distance. He has had trouble stringing wins together lately, as he hasn’t had consecutive victories in the UFC since a 3-0 run from April 22-Nov. 4, 2017.

Want to place a bet on UFC Fight Night? Place bets at BetMGM online in CO, IN, NV, NJ and WV! New customer offer: Risk-free first bet! Visit BetMGM for terms and conditions. Bet now!

Ben Rothwell vs. Ovince Saint Preux betting odds

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday, May 12 at 2:25 a.m. ET.

ROTHWELL (+120) is actually a nice little value as a short underdog, especially since Saint Preux moved up to the heavyweight class and there likely will be a bit of an adjustment period for him. It will also be difficult for the former University of Tennessee linebacker to get Rothwell to the ground, which is where Saint Preux holds an advantage. Look for Rothwell to keep this bout upright and christen Saint Preux into the heavyweight ranks with a setback.

I like Rothwell to claim the upset, plus, I’m backing him to win by KO/TKO or DQ (+240), which is particularly attractive. In addition, taking Rothwell to win in either ROUND 1 (+450) or ROUND 2 (+650) could be rather lucrative, too. As such, taking NO (-213): WILL THE FIGHT GO THE DISATNACE? should be another winning prop.

New to sports betting? A $10 bet on Rothwell (+120) to win returns a $12 profit. A $10 bet on Rothwell to win by KO/TKO or DQ (+240) bags a $24 profit, while a $10 bet on a Rothwell win in Round 1 (+450) fetches a $45 profit. Rothwell winning in Round 2 (+650) will profit $65 on a $10 bet.

To watch the full card, sign up for ESPN+ now.

If you want some action on this MMA bout, place your wagers at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and analysis, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter, and follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

[lawrence-newsletter]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=2559]

UFC on ESPN+ 29 pre-event facts: Andrei Arlovski’s activity unmatched at heavyweight

The best stats and figures about UFC on ESPN+ 29, which features an Anthony Smith vs. Glover Teixeira main event.

The UFC’s busy schedule returning from the coronavirus pandemic continues on Wednesday with UFC on ESPN+ 29, which takes place at VyStar Veteran Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., with a 12-fight lineup set to stream on ESPN+.

A pair of light heavyweight contenders are set to clash in the main event. [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] (32-14 MMA, 8-4 UFC) returns from an 11-month layoff when he takes on former title challenger [autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag] (30-7 MMA, 13-5 UFC) in a matchup with high implications for both men.

That’s not all the card has to offer, though. For more on the numbers, check below for 40 pre-event facts about UFC on ESPN+ 29.

* * * *

Main event

Smith competes in his fifth consecutive UFC headliner. He’s 3-1 in previous main event appearances.

Smith is 4-1 since he moved up to the UFC light heavyweight division in June 2018.

Smith is 8-3 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2016. He’s 15-4 since he was first released from the promotion in June 2013.

Smith has earned 30 of his 32 career victories by stoppage. That includes seven of his eight UFC wins.

Smith’s four stoppage victories since 2018 in UFC light heavyweight competition are most in the division.

Smith has been awarded a fight-night bonus in his past three UFC wins.

Teixeira’s three-fight UFC winning streak at light heavyweight is the fourth-longest active streak in the division behind Jon Jones (four), Magomed Ankalaev (four) and Ryan Spann (four).

Teixeira’s 13 victories in UFC light heavyweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Jones (20) and Ryan Bader (15).

Teixeira’s 10 stoppage victories in UFC light heavyweight competition are tied with Jones and Ovince Saint Preux for most in divisional history.

Teixeira’s five submission victories in UFC light heavyweight competition are tied with Jones, Saint Preux and Misha Cirkunov for most in divisional history.

Teixeira has landed 86.6 percent of his significant strikes in UFC light-heavyweight competition to his opponent’s head, the largest proportion in divisional history.

Co-main event

[autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] (37-12 MMA, 7-6 UFC) is 1-2 since he returned to competition in March 2019 after a nearly three-year layoff.

Rothwell has earned 34 of his 37 career victories by stoppage. That includes four of his seven UFC wins.

[autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag] (24-13 MMA, 12-8 UFC) moves up to the UFC heavyweight division for the first time after spending his previous 20 octagon appearance at light heavyweight.

Saint Preux’s 11 victories since 2013 in UFC light heavyweight competition are the most in the division.

Saint Preux’s 10 stoppage victories in UFC light heavyweight competition are tied with Teixeira, Jones and Chuck Liddell for most in divisional history.

Saint Preux’s five submission victories in UFC light heavyweight competition are tied with Teixeira, Jones and Cirkunov for most in divisional history.

Saint Preux’s four submission victories by Von Flue choke are the most in UFC/WEC/PRIDE/Strikeforce combined organizational history.

Saint Preux’s four submission victories by Von Flue choke are the most in UFC history.

Saint Preux has earned four of the six Von Flue choke submissions in UFC history. Jason Von Flue and Jordan Rinaldi also won with the technique.

Saint Preux’s two technical submission victories in UFC competition are tied for second most in company history behind Frank Mir (three).

Saint Preux vs. Yushin Okami at UFC Fight Night 117 was just the second fight in modern UFC history to feature zero combined significant strike attempts. Ilir Latifi vs. Cyrille Diabate at UFC on FUEL TV 6 was the other.

Saint Preux’s seven fight-night bonuses for UFC light heavyweight bouts are tied for third most in divisional history behind Jones (eight) and Mauricio Rua (eight).

Remaining main card

[autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag]’s (15-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) victory at the 5:00 mark of Round 3 at UFC Fight Night 128 is the latest stoppage in a three-round UFC fight.

Preliminary card

[autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag] (28-19 MMA, 17-13 UFC) competes in his 32nd UFC bout, the most in heavyweight history and the fourth most appearances in company history behind Donald Cerrone (35), Jim Miller (34) and Jeremy Stephens (33).

Arlovski is 3-9 (with one no contest) in his past 12 UFC appearances dating back to January 2016.

Arlovski is 7-9 (with one no contest) since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in June 2014.

Arlovski’s total fight time of 4:33:42 in UFC heavyweight competition is the most in divisional history.

Arlovski’s 17 victories in UFC heavyweight competition are most in divisional history.

Arlovski’s 11 stoppage victories in UFC heavyweight competition are tied with Gabriel Gonzaga and Stefan Struve for second most in divisional history behind Frank Mir (13).

Arlovski’s nine knockout victories in UFC heavyweight competition are tied for fourth most in divisional history behind Cain Velasquez (10), Derrick Lewis (10) and Junior Dos Santos (10).

Arlovski’s 10 knockdowns landed in UFC heavyweight competition are tied with Velasquez for second most in divisional history behind Dos Santos (14).

Arlovski landed 152 significant strikes at UFC on ESPN 4, the single-fight record for a three-round UFC heavyweight bout.

Arlovski defends 80.6 percent of all opponent takedown attempts in UFC heavyweight competition, the third highest rate in divisional history behind Alexander Volkov (82.8 percent), Marcin Tybura (82.1 percent) and Dos Santos (81.8 percent).

Arlovski’s nine knockout losses in UFC/WEC/PRIDE/Strikeforce competition are second most in combined organizational history behind Alistair Overeem (12).

[autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag] (19-15 MMA, 11-11 UFC) was unsuccessful in his return to the lightweight division at UFC on ESPN+ 20. He hasn’t earned a victory in the weight class since September 2016.

Johnson is 3-7 in his past 10 fights dating back to August 2015.

Johnson’s nine knockdowns landed in UFC lightweight competition are fourth most in divisional history behind Melvin Guillard (13), Cerrone (11) and Edson Barboza (10).

[autotag]Sijara Eubanks[/autotag] (4-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) is 0-2 since she moved up to the UFC women’s bantamweight division in May 2019.

[autotag]Gabriel Benitez[/autotag] (21-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) is one of 11 fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from a slam. He accomplished the feat at UFC Fight Night 129.

Benitez defends 71.4 percent of all opponent significant strike attempts in UFC featherweight competition, the second best rate in divisional history behind Josh Emmett (72 percent).

[autotag]Chase Sherman[/autotag] (13-6 MMA, 2-5 UFC) returns to the UFC for a second stint after going 2-0 outside the promotion. He hasn’t earned an octagon victory since September 2018.

UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.

Ben Rothwell: Ovince Saint Preux’s signature choke ‘a welcomed challenge’ at UFC on ESPN+ 29

Ben Rothwell doesn’t think Ovince Saint Preux is going to be able to finish him with his trademark submission at UFC on ESPN+ 29.

[autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] doesn’t think [autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag] is going to be able to finish him with his trademark submission at UFC on ESPN+ 29, but he welcomes him to try.

Saint Preux (24-13 MMA, 12-8 UFC) has carved out a bit of a legacy for himself in the octagon by locking in the Von Flue (or Von Preux) choke on four different opponents for wins. Pulling it off against Rothwell (37-12 MMA, 7-6 UFC), who arguably has superior grappling to the previous victims, would be a tall task, though.

If Saint Preux wants to go for it, though, Rothwell encourages him to try.

“It’s effective,” Rothwell said during Monday’s UFC on ESPN+ 29 virtual media day. “If he locks it up, it’s like a lot of submissions. If they’re locked up you’re going to be in trouble. I like to believe there’s a way out of everything. It will be a welcomed challenge. He’s got to do a lot of work to get to there.”

UFC on ESPN+ 29 takes place Wednesday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The entire card streams on ESPN+.

[lawrence-related id=513802,485471]

The matchup between Rothwell and Saint Preux was a bit of a surprise. Rothwell was originally supposed to fight Gian Villante on the April 18 version of the UFC 249 card, but then the coronavirus pandemic hit and the scheduled got shuffled.

Villante was unavailable to fight on the new date and that’s when Saint Preux came into the fold. “OSP” has never fought at heavyweight in more than 20 fights under the UFC banner, so he wasn’t exactly someone on the radar.

Rothwell hypothesized that Saint Preux is moving up because he thinks it will be an easier time fighting bigger and “slower” opponent, but he intends to prove that wrong on fight night.

It’s an important fight for Rothwell, who in December snapped a three-fight losing skid over nearly three years when he beat Stefan Struve at UFC on ESPN 7. It was a crucial win for Rothwell, and he said one that served a building block to his main career focus going into UFC on ESPN+ 29.

“Goals are just to get in the best shape I can and be the best martial artist I can. That’s the goal every fight, every step. Take each fight one step at a time and try not to look too far ahead because that doesn’t seem to work out well. It’s about focusing on the here and now. With my body there’s a lot of room for improvement and that’s what I’m working on right now.”

[vertical-gallery id=469004]

UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Teixeira betting odds and viewing guide

Betting odds and viewing guide for Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night card featuring Anthony Smith vs. Glover Teixeira.

[jwplayer ZeQosOyN]

The Ultimate Fighting Championship will get right back at it Wednesday with UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Teixeira at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. Prelims begin at 6 p.m. ET with the main card set to start at 9 p.m. ET. The full event is available on ESPN+. Below, we look at the BetMGM betting odds for all 11 fights on the UFC Fight Night main card and prelims.

UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Teixeira comes on the heels of UFC 249, which saw Justin Gaethje upset Tony Ferguson for the interim lightweight title.

UFC Fight Night Smith vs. Teixeira betting odds: Main card (9 p.m. ET)

Betting odds courtesy of BetMGM. All lines last updated Monday at 1:30 p.m. ET. *OTB: Off the Board, lines not posted

Anthony Smith (-175) vs. Glover Teixeira (+145)

Light heavyweight bout. No. 3 contender vs. No. 8 contender.

Ben Rothwell (+120) vs. Ovince Saint Preux (-147)

Heavyweight bout. Unranked vs. unranked.

Alexander Hernandez (OTB) vs. Drew Dober (OTB)

Lightweight bout. No. 15 contender vs. unranked.

Ricky Simon (-182) vs. Ray Borg (+150)

Bantamweight bout. Unranked vs. unranked.

Karl Roberson (+145) vs. Marvin Vettori (-175)

Middleweight bout. Unranked vs. unranked.

Want to place a bet on UFC Fight Night? Place bets at BetMGM online in CO, IN, NV, NJ and WV! New customer offer: Risk-free first bet! Visit BetMGM for terms and conditions. Bet now!

UFC Fight Night Smith vs. Teixeira betting odds: Prelims (6 p.m. ET)

Andrei Arlovski (OTB) vs. Philipe Lins (OTB)

Heavyweight bout. Unranked vs. unranked.

Michael Johnson (-110) vs. Thiago Moises (-110)

Lightweight bout. Unranked vs. unranked.

Sijara Eubanks (-357) vs. Sarah Moras (+275)

Women’s bantamweight bout. No. 15 contender vs. unranked.

Gabriel Benitez (+140) vs. Omar Morales (-172)

Lightweight bout. Unranked vs. unranked.

Hunter Azure (-182) vs. Brian Kelleher (+150)

Featherweight bout. Unranked vs. unranked.

Chase Sherman (OTB) vs. Isaac Villanueva (OTB)

Heavyweight bout. Unranked vs. unranked.

How/Where can I watch UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Teixeira

Where is it? VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville

When is it? Wednesday, May 13 at 9 p.m. ET

How to watch: ESPN+

Get some action on UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Teixeira by placing a legal sports bets in Colorado, Indiana, Nevada, New Jersey and West Virginia at BetMGM. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook. Please gamble responsibly.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

[lawrence-newsletter]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=2559]

UFC on ESPN+ 29: Make your predictions for Anthony Smith vs. Glover Teixeira

We want your predictions for Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN+ 29 event in Jacksonville, Fla.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Monday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC on ESPN+ 29 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC on ESPN+ 29 takes place Wednesday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The card streams on ESPN+.

Make your picks for all five main card fights inside:

Pages: 1234567

Combat Rewind, April 27: Ben Rothwell sends ‘Meat Truck’ flying in Hawaii

Check out the best highlights from this day in history with MMA Junkie’s “Combat Rewind.”

There’s “Flashback Friday” and “Throwback Thursday” (and Tuesday, too, if you want). But at MMA Junkie, we figured why not expand that to every day?

“Combat Rewind” brings you some of combat sports’ best highlights from every calendar day of the year. It’s a look back at history, courtesy of the UFC Fight Pass archives, featuring stellar finishes and classic moments in MMA and beyond on their anniversaries.

So kick back and relive the following bits of greatness in the video above:

- Cage Warriors 104: [autotag]Jamie Richardson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Phil Wells[/autotag] – April 27, 2019
- IVC 10: [autotag]Wanderlei Silva[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Eugene Jackson[/autotag] – April 27, 1999
- SuperBrawl 24: [autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Kerry Schall[/autotag] – April 27, 2002
- Pancrase – Shining 3: [autotag]Masaya Takita[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Manabu Inoue[/autotag] – April 27, 2008
- King of the Cage – Sinister: [autotag]Charlie Kohler[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Matt Dell[/autotag] – April 27, 2007
- SuperBrawl 24: [autotag]Tim Sylvia[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Boyd Ballard[/autotag] – April 27, 2002

Fight footage courtesy of UFC Fight Pass, the UFC’s official digital subscription service, which is currently offering a seven-day free trial. UFC Fight Pass gives fans access to exclusive live UFC events and fights, exclusive live MMA and combat sports events from around the world, exclusive original and behind the scenes content and unprecedented 24-7 access to the world’s biggest fight library.

Combat Rewind – April 27

Ovince Saint Preux moves to heavyweight, meets Ben Rothwell at UFC’s May 13 event

Ovince Saint Preux will dabble at heavyweight for his next fight.

[autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag] will dabble at heavyweight for his next fight.

Saint Preux, who has the second-most light heavyweight fights in UFC history with 20, will jump up a weight class to fight [autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] on the UFC’s May 13 event.

MMA Junkie verified the matchup between Saint Preux (24-13 MMA, 12-8 UFC) and Rothwell (37-12 MMA, 7-6 UFC) with a person close to the situation following an initial report from ESPN. The person requested anonymity because the UFC has yet to make an official announcement.

The May 13 card (which does not have an official name) will take place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. It would be the UFC’s second event back after suspending all cards to the coronavirus pandemic, with UFC 249 on May 9 being the first.

Saint Preux, 37, is coming off a second-round submission of Michal Oleksiejczuk at UFC on ESPN+ 18 in September. He finished the fight using his patented Von Flue choke, the fourth time he’s done so in UFC competition.

Now “OSP” will see if those skills translate against bigger opponents when he takes on Rothwell, 38, who in December snapped a three-fight losing skid with a TKO of Stefan Struve at UFC on ESPN 7.

The latest lineup for the UFC’s May 13 event includes:

Anthony Smith vs. Glover Teixeira
Ben Rothwell vs. Ovince Saint Preux

[vertical-gallery id=469004]

Ben Rothwell wonders: What if his Stipe Miocic fight happened at UFC Dublin in 2015?

Ben Rothwell wonders where his career would be if he fought Stipe Miocic as planned at UFC Dublin in 2015.

At the height of his UFC career, [autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] was scheduled to take on [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag], but the fight fell through.

Rothwell (37-12 MMA, 7-6 UFC), who at the time had stopped three straight opponents, was scheduled to face current UFC heavyweight champion Miocic at UFC Fight Night 76 in Dublin.

But an injury forced Miocic out, and the bout was scrapped from the card entirely. Both fighters took on new opponents on different dates, and their careers went in different directions.

Now, Rothwell wonders what could have been if that fight had happened – and said it’s a fight he’s confident would have gone in his favor.

“Stipe and I were supposed to fight October of 2015,” Rothwell told MMA Junkie. “And some weird act of God took place and he was taken from me and matched against Andrei Arlovski two months later and started a title run. So yeah – that kind of reminds me, ‘What if?'”

Miocic’s first-round finish over Arlovski at UFC 195 set him up for a title shot against then-champion Fabricio Werdum. Miocic knocked Werdum out, captured the title, and defended it a UFC heavyweight record three times.

Rothwell extended his winning streak to four when he submitted Josh Barnett. That set him up with a No. 1 contender fight against former UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos, but Rothwell dropped a five-round unanimous decision.

Then came an almost three-year hiatus from the sport after Rothwell suffered an injury and was flagged by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for a failed drug test. After serving his suspension, Rothwell lost to Blagoy Ivanov then Arlovski.

[lawrence-related id=483460,483013,483058]

It was a drastic shift in his career that he thinks could have gone a different way had the Miocic fight happened.

“It’s never going to leave me that I’m a horrible matchup for Stipe in so many ways, and he goes around and he’s the ‘baddest man on the planet,'” Rothwell said. “Well, I’m just a guy who’ll beat him.”

For now, Miocic may not be in Rothwell’s radar, but he did recently snap a three-fight losing skid with a second-round finish of Stefan Struve at UFC on ESPN 7.

Next up, Rothwell takes on Gian Villante at UFC 249 in Brooklyn, N.Y., on April.

“If you look at the way the matchup is, it’s a very exciting matchup,” Rothwell said. “I think they matched us together because of the way both of us fight.”

And despite getting back in the win column, Rothwell admits the pressure is still on. He’s looking to take things fight by fight moving forward.

“I’ve gotten to a point in my career where I have to believe in myself – I just do,” Rothwell said. “I believe in my skills. I always believe that you have to show the best that I can, and I’ve just gotta get in there. And once I get in the cage, as long as I can be healthy, I believe it’s going to be a good time.

“I’m done chasing things that are out of my control. It’s just about each fight: Go out, perform my best and be exciting. That’s all that really matters.”

[vertical-gallery id=469004]