Ben Rothwell

Ben Rothwell

Ben Rothwell is an American mixed martial artist who competes as a Heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He also competed for the Quad Cities Silverbacks of the IFL where he held an undefeated 9–0 record. He has also had one-fight stints in Affliction, M-1 Global, and King of the Cage. Rothwell made his UFC debut on October 24, 2009, losing to Cain Velasquez via one minute and two seconds of the second round.

About Ben Rothwell in brief

Summary Ben RothwellBen Rothwell is an American mixed martial artist who competes as a Heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He also competed for the Quad Cities Silverbacks of the IFL where he held an undefeated 9–0 record before leaving the promotion due to a contract dispute. He has also had one-fight stints in Affliction, M-1 Global, and King of the Cage. Rothwell made his UFC debut on October 24, 2009, losing to Cain Velasquez via one minute and two seconds of the second round. He is of Norwegian and Irish descent and grew up in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He suffered a bout with spinal meningitis when he was six years old and was in a coma and temporarily blind, while the disease made him almost obese. He struggled with his weight and identity in his adolescent years, and was often involved in fighting and violence at Westosha Central High School. In 1999, at the age of 17, he began learning self-defense and joined Miletich Fighting Systems. He made his professional debut in early 2001 in his home-state of Wisconsin and dominated his opponent, winning by TKO only 21 seconds into the fight.

He then won his next three fights, all under two minutes into the first round and all with strikes. After racking up four consecutive IFL wins, he fought future The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights winner and IFL Heavyweight Champion Roy Nelson, winning via split decision. His next fight was a rematch from almost five years earlier against veteran Travis Fulton, owner of 195 career victories, Rothwell then met Krzysztof Soszynski in a rematch of his IFL debut. He once again won via TKO, only 13 seconds in the bout. After leaving IFL, Rothwell joined Affliction where he appeared in only one bout, against former UFC Heavyweights Champion Andrei Arlovski. However, the fight fell short of a victory and he lost the championship to Renzo Gracie’s New Pitbulls. This was Rothwell’s last appearance in IFL as he eventually left the organization due to contract disputes.