mma / Columns

Ben Rothwell’s Rocky Rise from IFL Darling to UFC Title Contender

February 1, 2016 | Posted by Dan Plunkett

Long before the maniacal laugh and smooth dance celebrations, Ben Rothwell was the top heavyweight in the International Fight League.

A rough and tumble fighter from Pat Miletich’s camp that hovered around heavyweight’s 265-pound limit, Rothwell made an immediate impact in the IFL’s debut year, finishing each of his four 2006 bouts inside the promotion within the first round. The next year, he solidified his status as the IFL’s best heavyweight by going 5-0, including a win over Roy Nelson. Late in the year, the IFL set up four-man tournaments that would determine the promotion’s first divisional champions. Rothwell was the favorite at heavyweight, but was pulled from the bracket when he would not sign a new contract.

By late 2007, the IFL had dug itself into financial issues. They spent far more per show than they earned on their television contract with MyNetworkTV, and ratings were slipping. The promotion hoped going live would catch the falling ratings and bring them back up to their impressive debut numbers, but the live show flopped all the same. Rothwell never came to a new agreement with the failing company. In February, MyNetworkTV canceled the IFL. On July 31, 2008, the promotion closed shop.

As Rothwell fell off the nosediving IFL, a new promotion rose to snatch him away. Clothing company Affliction launched a self-titled promotion and aggressively went after every name free agent on the market. Their heavyweight arsenal was particularly impressive. They locked up just about every top heavyweight outside of the UFC, including Rothwell, who looked to find his place among the division’s elite.

On the promotion’s debut show, Rothwell was pitted opposite former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski in the co-main event. Finally, a major test for a heavyweight who had been the big fish in a small pond. Suddenly dropped into the ocean, he was largely overwhelmed by a resurgent Arlovski, who returned to form after a disappointing stretch of fights. Although he was stopped in the third round, Rothwell got his licks in and was one-half of easily the best fight of the night.

For his efforts, Rothwell took home $250,000, a sum he may well have deserved, but one that was indicative of the issues that plagued Affliction. The company overspent on talent and production and had no real hope to make the money back. Rothwell, a relatively little known fighter outside of hardcore circles with no proven drawing power, made more for his disclosed purse than Anderson Silva did headlining a UFC card in Las Vegas the same night.

Rothwell was tapped to fight Chase Gormley at Affliction: Trilogy in 2009 when the promotion abruptly folded. Much of the talent, Rothwell included, headed to the UFC. The promotion had been planning a Shane Carwin vs. Cain Velasquez heavyweight tilt for UFC 104, but suddenly promoted Carwin to a title match against Brock Lesnar. The search for Velasquez’s new opponent ended at Rothwell, who entered as the underdog despite a vast experience different (Velasquez was only entering his seventh fight). A win would have put him right in the title hunt; Velasquez had been a juggernaut, and the hype was high.

Velasquez continued to prove the hype correct when he tore through Rothwell in an October night in Los Angeles. He never gave him a chance to breath. Rothwell ate punches, although perhaps not particularly powerful ones, for the entirety of the contest before it was halted in the second round. It was hardly a fairy tale UFC debut.

Rothwell fought sparingly for the next few years. He defeated Gilbert Yvel in an uninspiring fight in 2010 and a 2011 loss to Mark Hunt at altitude left him gasping for air and far outside of title contention. He traded a win (Brendan Schaub) and a loss (Gabriel Gonzaga) before facing Brandon Vera in August 2013. Prior to the bout, he was approved for testosterone replacement therapy. Rothwell scored a big TKO win, a mark that continued his give a penny, leave a penny UFC run, but afterward he failed a drug test for elevated levels of testosterone. The Wisconsin Commission slapped him on the wrist, issuing only a warning, while the UFC benched him for nine months.

He returned as a lamp out for slaughter. Alistair Overeem’s UFC career had been rife with disappointment, with a failed drug test, two knockout losses, and dull decision victory over Frank Mir. However, the former K-1 World Grand Prix champion was still expected to handle Rothwell, whose glory days seemed to linger behind in the IFL ring. However, one of Overeem’s greatest liabilities is his chin, and a big heavyweight like Rothwell packs a punch. Rothwell put Overeem on the mat with a right hand and never allowed him to recover, stopping him in the first round. It was without question the biggest win of Rothwell’s career.

Still, Rothwell was earmarked as the betting underdog when he met Matt Mitrione in June of 2015. When he strangled Mitrione in the first round, it brought him to a new level. Once again a real contender, he was matched with Stipe Miocic, but a Miocic injury scrapped the fight. He was rebooked against Josh Barnett, one of the most successful grapplers in the history of the division. Once again a slight underdog, it was reasonable to believe Rothwell couldn’t match Barnett on the ground and would have to win it on the feet. That’s sort of what he did. With Barnett going after a single leg, Rothwell wrapped his arms around the former UFC heavyweight champion’s neck. He went down to his knees and readjusted his hands to secure the choke. Barnett fell to his back. Against the fence with nowhere to move, Barnett tapped for the first time in his career (his injury loss to Mirko Cro Cop notwithstanding).

At 34, ten years after he first made a splash in the IFL, Rothwell is a serious heavyweight championship contender in the UFC. The only thing that may keep him out of a title fight – or delay it considerably – is the backlog in the division caused by frequent injuries at the top of the division.

Alongside Cain Velasquez, Stipe Miocic, and Alistair Overeem, Rothwell is in the immediate picture for Fabricio Werdum’s heavyweight title. If he’s lucky, he could fall into the next spot in line. More likely, he’ll have to fight again to get there. Fittingly, he’ll likely be an underdog once again.

Dan Plunkett has covered MMA for 411Mania since 2008. You can reach him by email at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @Dan_Plunkett.