UFC veteran Ben Rothwell, who has quickly dispatched two opponents since joining BKFC, is eager for a title shot and has challenged current heavyweight champion Mick Terrill, stating he believes he can beat him and that their fight would be the biggest BKFC heavyweight title fight of all time.
Ben Rothwell, a UFC veteran, could’ve easily landed a title shot in BKFC. He’s a seasoned fighter with over 50 fights and a career spanning 20 years. Standing at 6-foot-4, this knockout artist was a significant free agent acquisition after he sought release from UFC to explore new horizons.
Since his debut, Rothwell has swiftly defeated two opponents. But instead of a title shot, he was scheduled to fight Todd Duffee last December. Unfortunately, illness struck, and Rothwell couldn’t compete. Now, looking ahead at 2024, Rothwell’s done waiting for an opportunity he believes he’s already earned.
“This isn’t like I’m bypassing Todd Duffee,” Rothwell clarified in an MMA Fighting interview. He had a verbal spat with Mick Terrill a year ago. He was already targeting Terrill when the latter said he’d first get the belt and then take Rothwell out. “Well, here we are,” Rothwell said, “He’s got the belt, and he’s basically holding onto my belt. That’s the fight I’ve always wanted.”
Terrill, a 7-1 veteran in bare-knuckle fighting, claimed the heavyweight title with a knockout over Arnold Adams at BKFC 56. This win avenged a prior loss to Adams in 2021, and Terrill is now on a three-fight winning streak. Rothwell doesn’t have any personal issues with Terrill, except for the fact that the British-born heavyweight is holding a belt Rothwell desperately wants.
Rothwell doesn’t see any other viable options in the division. He’s not interested in another champion from a lower weight class trying to compete at heavyweight. “For me, I feel it’s the biggest and best heavyweight fight, me versus Mick Terrill,” Rothwell stated. He dismissed talks of other guys coming after Mick, arguing that a 185-pound guy fighting Terrill does nothing for the heavyweight division or Terrill.
Rothwell believes a fight between him and Terrill is what people want to see. “A heavyweight fight. The two best heavyweights doing battle, that is a fight we can build,” he said. He’s confident that he can defeat the current heavyweight champ. “I don’t need to fight anyone else when I know I can beat the heavyweight champ right now,” Rothwell declared.
Rothwell watched Terrill capture the title at BKFC 56. He saw Terrill stop an exhausted Adams in the fourth round. This performance confirmed Rothwell’s belief that he’s ready to take out the new heavyweight champion.
Rothwell is eager to compete sooner rather than later. He hoped to fight Terrill as early as February, but that timeline seems unlikely given the current BKFC lineup. However, Rothwell doesn’t care about the where or when, as long as the BKFC heavyweight title is up for grabs.
“I don’t give a s*** where it’s at,” Rothwell said. “I’ll fight him anywhere on this planet. If we’ve got to go to London, then ‘Big Ben’ is going to come show him what time it is.” Rothwell hasn’t been this excited to fight someone in a long time. He’s eager for this fight and is confident he’ll deliver.
Rothwell hopes Terrill is listening. He believes BKFC will be interested in putting together the biggest and best possible matchups in the year ahead. That’s why Rothwell sent Terrill a direct message to ensure that he has the heavyweight champion’s undivided attention.
“Mick Terrill, we’re the two biggest heavyweights in the division, we have the opportunity to have the biggest BKFC heavyweight title fight of all time,” Rothwell said. “It’s an opportunity and it’s not going to come around again. Because I’m here and I’m ready. All the naysayers out there ‘I’ve got to do this, I’ve got to do that.’ — no, I’ve done enough in my career, I beat in my mind I beat the second best heavyweight in Josh Copeland. I earned my shot. I don’t need to fight anybody else when I know I can beat the heavyweight champ right now.”
“Mick, you don’t like that? Then prove everyone wrong and do what a champion does and earn that belt by defending it because I’m coming to take it regardless,” Rothwell concluded.