Ben Rothwell’s evening at UFC Fight Night 68 could scarcely have gone better.
The heavyweight contender turned heads with a Darth Vader-like walkout; dazzled in the Octagon with a quick submission of Matt Mitrione; then delivered a post-fight interview which had set the Twitterverse abuzz.
Just one problem: The UFC’s brass took the night off, and Big Ben’s having trouble getting in touch.
“I felt gypped,” Rothwell said on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour. “Dana White wasn’t there, Joe Silva wasn’t there, I felt gypped. Joe Rogan wasn’t there. These fights were a big deal, and the three stars of the UFC weren’t even there. I kind of felt gypped.”
What turned out to be an epic evening of fights in the Big Easy was done without Rothwell’s boss in the house.
“I just wanna talk to him,” Rothwell said. “I talked to Joe Silva, and Joe Silva said it’s even hard for him to talk to Dana White. Dana White is a bigger star than all of us, I don’t think he has time for us. I don’t think he even watches UFC. It’s funny.”
And what would Rothwell say if he got White’s ear? Well, for one thing, Rothwell’s made it clear he wants a fight with Andrei Arlosvki, which would be a rematch of a wild Affliction brawl won by Arlovski in 2008.
But in the near term, Rothwell wants to be a part of the UFC Fan Expo in Las Vegas next month.
“I want to talk to Dana White because I want to be at the UFC Fan Expo. I’m looking at the list and seeing these people and I don’t even know who they are. You’ve got the champions coming, you’ve got the veterans, Matt Hughes and Chuck Liddell, awesome. Then there’s a group of people who are signing and I don’t even know who they are. Really? I want to be there for the fans. They’re trying to get autographs.
“Social media’s awesome,” Rothwell continued. “But being able to shake hands and sign autographs feels a lot more to me. I’d like to get some of those opportunities. UFC Fan Expo is a great place to be, but UFC kind of doesn’t give a s— about me.”