As the lone heavyweight bout on the main card, Matt Mitrione and Ben Rothwell faced otherworldly expectations at UFC Fight Night 68 on Saturday night. Blame it on Andrei Arlovski and Travis Browne for raising the bar in the heavyweight division with an oddly satisfying display of carnage at UFC 187.
Mitrione came into the fight with fists on fire, having knocked out his last three opponents in the first round.
His most recent win over Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC on Fox 13 was easily the most impressive of his career. Against Rothwell, who is coming off back-to-back wins over Alistair Overeem and Brandon Vera, Mitrione had an opportunity to finally crack into the top-10 heavyweight rankings.
Rothwell shocked the world back in November when he dropped Overeem like a sack of potatoes. In Mitrione, he saw a chance to get another quality win under his belt to help him creep further up the heavyweight ladder. Rothwell shed his checkered resume by picking up his third consecutive win in the UFC, submitting Mitrione in the first round.
Here is what we learned from the UFC Fight Night 68 co-main event.
What We’ll Remember About the Fight
Mitrione is deceptively fast for a heavyweight. His speed goes hand-in-hand with his athleticism. While most heavyweights typically plod around the cage in a flat-footed stance, Mitrione is able to bounce around lightly and set up angles to attack.
He found success early on moving in and out of the pocket on Rothwell, but it all came crashing down after a failed takedown attempt got him caught in a front choke. The submission didn’t even appear to be cinched up all the way before Mitrione began tapping.
What We Learned from Mitrione
Mitrione may not be in the UFC’s good graces after bashing the Reebok deal, and losing doesn’t really help his case.
Mitrione has called the UFC home since he started competing as a professional fighter. The former NFL defensive tackle looked to be finally maturing and coming into his own, but he suffered another major setback against a top-10 heavyweight opponent.
Mitrione is unusually athletic for a heavyweight fighter, and it gives him key advantages on the feet. But he has yet to show the same competence on the ground. Mitrione was beside himself after the loss.
What We Learned from Rothwell
Many of you are probably still trying to wrap your heads around me calling Rothwell a checkered fighter, which is basically a fancy way of saying he’s inconsistent.
The former IFL star beat Gilbert Yvel and went on to lose to Mark Hunt. He knocked out Brendan Schaub and went on to get submitted by Gabriel Gonzaga.
Consistency has been a major problem for Rothwell in the UFC in the past, but things have obviously changed. His third straight win on Saturday night marks the first time Rothwell has won three consecutive bouts in eight years.
What’s Next for Mitrione
There are plenty of options available to Mitrione in the UFC’s wide-open heavyweight landscape. Frank Mir, Mark Hunt, Alistair Overeem, Travis Browne or Josh Barnett would all make for interesting opponents for Meathead.
Perhaps he’ll get thrown to the wolves for frowning on the Reebok deal. In that case, you can fully expect to see him paired against either Junior dos Santos or Stipe Miocic. Mitrione better be training like a champion if he hopes to keep a roster spot.
What’s Next for Rothwell
The Kenosha, Wisconsin native is finding the same magic that made him a star in the IFL. Of course, the primary reason for the drop-off was the high-quality opposition he consistently faced in the UFC.
It’s always tough branding fighters as gatekeepers because you never want to give a cutoff point to a fighter’s potential. Rothwell made the necessary changes and came back a much-improved fighter.
A top-five opponent could be in his future.
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