How many contenders must Ben Rothwell destroy in order to earn a heavyweight title shot?
All of them.
That’s the message from Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), who asked the streaking 265-pound contender to throw hands with former division champion Junior dos Santos in the UFC Fight Night 86 main event, which takes place on April 10, 2016, inside Zagreb Arena in Zagreb, Croatia, live on FOX Sports 1.
“Big” Ben (36-9) is riding a torrid four-fight win streak — with four finishes — including last month’s submission victory over No. 9-ranked Josh Barnett. Prior to disposing of “The Warmaster,” Rothwell rid himself of Matt Mitrione, not long after knocking out No. 3-ranked Alistair Overeem.
UFC matchmaker Joe Silva is not impressed.
Rothwell’s latest hurdle comes in the former of Dos Santos, who not only held the division title for hot minute, but also has some of the most dangerous hands in the entire weight class. Unfortunately, “Cigano” looked a bit punchy his last time out, crumbling in a heap against the aforementioned Overeem at UFC on FOX 17.
The Brazilian is just 2-3 over his last five.
UFC Fight Night 86, which comes with a set of “Prelims” on UFC Fight Pass, will also feature a 265-pound showdown between Gabriel Gonzaga and Ruslan Magomedov, while Bojan Mihajlovic and Francis Ngannou hook ’em up for heavyweight bragging rights.
Expect more UFC “Zagreb” fight announcements in the coming days.