Ben Rothwell will face late replacement Josh “Cuddly Bear” Copeland at the upcoming BKFC 41 event in Denver.
Ben Rothwell is set to face off against late replacement Josh “Cuddly Bear” Copeland in his next bare-knuckle fight at the upcoming BKFC 41 event on April 29 in Denver. BKFC announced the new pairing on Monday, after Rothwell’s original opponent, Josh Watson, was forced to withdraw due to an injury. Watson gained notoriety after knocking out ex-NFL player and UFC veteran Greg Hardy in February.
Copeland will be making his second appearance in BKFC after scoring a knockout win in his debut this past October with a third-round finish over Levi Costa. Throughout his career, Copeland has competed in the UFC, World Series of Fighting, and PFL, with his last MMA fight being in 2019. Initially, he was already scheduled to appear at BKFC 41, but now he’ll get a considerable bump up the card with the fight booked against Rothwell.
The heavyweights will battle in one of the most ambitious cards in BKFC history. Ex-UFC champion Luke Rockhold will be competing in the main event against Mike Perry, while Eddie Alvarez will also make his bare-knuckle debut against Chad Mendes in the co-main event. The BKFC 41 card will air on pay-per-view with a $49.99 price tag.