Ben Rothwell with Ariel Helwani (Photo : Photo: Twitter)
Ben Rothwell has been on a roll in the UFC as of late.
He's piled up impressive first round wins over top contenders Alistair Overeem by TKO and Matt Mitrione via a gogo choke submission.
Rothwell's climb to the top of the division seemed imminent; probably one more big name before challenging for a title.
Everything was falling into place, until his supposed opponent, No. 3 ranked heavyweight, Stipe Miocic, pulled out from the UFC Fight Night 76 card in Dublin, Ireland with an injury.
In the same breath, the organization scrapped the co-main event bout, as they couldn't find Rothwell a new opponent in time for the October 24 card.
Being in the mixed martial arts business for almost a decade and a half, Ben Rothwell understands that injuries are part of the sport; and that instead of sulking, he looks ahead and sees the bigger picture altogether.
"Beating Stipe, I still know I'm questionable as the No. 1 contender," Rothwell said to MMAJunkie.com Radio. "And how am I going to convince everybody? I have to beat Junior Dos Santos."
Coming from the mouth of a 44-fight MMA veteran, one should assume that this isn't tough talk and that Rothwell really believes he can mix it up with a former UFC champion like Dos Santos.
"I already put my name out there and said if somebody falls out in the Overeem or Dos Santos fight, I'll be there," he stated referring to the December 19 bout at UFC on FOX 17. "I don't wish anything bad to happen, but I really want to fight Junior Dos Santos."
Wise move by the No. 7 ranked heavyweight as there are quite a few legitimate "big names" left for him to fight.
"I asked to fight a No. 1 contender, Junior Dos Santos is a guy that beat Stipe; he is a guy that knocked out Cain Velasquez," Rothwell claimed. "That's the fight I need. It says everything with my actions. I let the world know who I am."
Of course, if all else fails, there's still a rematch with Andrei Arlovski, another former UFC champion who holds a knockout win over Ben Rothwell in the now-defunct Affliction promotion.
