Ben Rothwell‘s stint in the UFC hasn’t gone the way he’d hoped. After a TKO loss to Cain Velasquez during his Octagon debut in October 2009, the former IFL standout followed it up with a unanimous decision win over Gilbert Yvel that cost him his ACL. Now, 15 months later, he’s coming into his UFC 135 match against Mark Hunt this weekend with a completely new mindset. As he told Ariel Helwani:
“I don’t even feel like I’m the same person now. I feel like in one year I’ve really made some major changes, and it’s gonna be pretty obvious September 24th what I’m talking about…I’m definitely coming into this fight [and] I’m 0-0. This Ben Rothwell is 0-0 coming in the UFC.”
In a way, this is the inverse of bringing back your old self. Rothwell isn’t looking to re-live the past. He wants to come back as a brand-new Ben — a clean slate, removed from all the real-life setbacks he’s suffered over the last three years. A fictional character, in other words.
Ben Rothwell‘s stint in the UFC hasn’t gone the way he’d hoped. After a TKO loss to Cain Velasquez during his Octagon debut in October 2009, the former IFL standout followed it up with a unanimous decision win over Gilbert Yvel that cost him his ACL. Now, 15 months later, he’s coming into his UFC 135 match against Mark Hunt this weekend with a completely new mindset. As he told Ariel Helwani:
“I don’t even feel like I’m the same person now. I feel like in one year I’ve really made some major changes, and it’s gonna be pretty obvious September 24th what I’m talking about…I’m definitely coming into this fight [and] I’m 0-0. This Ben Rothwell is 0-0 coming in the UFC.”
In a way, this is the inverse of bringing back your old self. Rothwell isn’t looking to re-live the past. He wants to come back as a brand-new Ben — a clean slate, removed from all the real-life setbacks he’s suffered over the last three years. A fictional character, in other words.
Is Rothwell the first fighter to look to the future by ignoring the past? Not at all. In fact, this “0-0 fighter” thing is becoming a running gag in MMA. Melvin Guillard claimed to be 0-0 after losing to Nate Diaz. (He’s 5-0 now, if you’re keeping score.) Tyron Woodley called himself 0-0 after his lackluster win over Nathan Coy. Phil Davis thinks of himself as 0-0 every time he fights, as does Johnny Hendricks. So why all the hate for official records?
In the case of Rothwell and Guillard, I think it shows a bit of disrespect for the fighters who managed to beat them. Cain Velasquez and Nate Diaz should be proud of those victories — but the implication is that those guys beat inferior, outdated versions of Rothwell and Guillard, and if they fought again today, well, it would be a different story.
Look, Rothwell isn’t 0-0, he’s 31-7. And he’s come a long way since the days of beating the crap out of fat kids at local shows for gas money, which is something he should take pride in. Still, this “completely different fighter” routine needs to be retired. Unless Rothwell comes out shooting fireballs from his eyes and levitating around the cage, it’ll always feel like an exaggeration. No fighter is exactly the same from one match to the next.
If you’re going to devote your life to MMA, you have to accept that it will be filled with ups and downs, and those downs are going to suck. But there’s no reset button on life, as much as you’d like there to be. So own it.
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DENVER — MMA Fighting spoke to Ben Rothwell about returning to the UFC at UFC 135 on Saturday night against Mark Hunt, the injuries he had to overcome, why he’s a different fighter, his place in the heavyweight division and his take on the fight.
DENVER — MMA Fighting spoke to Ben Rothwell about returning to the UFC at UFC 135 on Saturday night against Mark Hunt, the injuries he had to overcome, why he’s a different fighter, his place in the heavyweight division and his take on the fight.
Filed under: UFCThe main eventers have worked out their issues with Dr. Phil and the guys lower down the card have had a chance to discuss what their fights ultimately mean, so I suppose it’s time to turn to the betting experts to find out how they see…
Based on all the pre-fight hype, you wouldn’t know this main event is, at least according to oddsmakers, a bit of a squash match. And yet, these are the people who get paid to handicap fights, and this is actually one of the more reasonable lines out there. Some have Jones as high as 7-1. Can so many professional gamblers be wrong?
Well, sure they could. Especially with a fighter who’s as young and untested as Jones. He’s dominated every opponent so thoroughly that it’s hard to imagine a plodding, predictable striker like Jackson surprising him with anything new. If I had to guess, I’d say Jones is thinking the same thing right now. If he goes into this fight thinking that Jackson has nothing for him, he could end up learning a painful lesson about respecting his elders. Punching power is the last desperate hope of many an aging fighter, and it’s been Jackson’s saving grace a time or two in the past. His best chance is to catch Jones slipping and rock him with one hard shot. Then again, no one’s been able to do it yet. My pick: Jones. The betting line is clearly insane, but money ventured on Jackson is money you need to be prepared to never see again. He needs to get in close and hook in order to have a chance. I fear the closest he’ll get to Jones is during the pre-fight staredown.
I love an underdog pick as much as anyone (see also: my regrettable decision to pick Jason MacDonald last week), but I don’t see how Hughes has much of a chance here. What, does he outwrestle the bigger, stronger Koscheck? Nope. Does he floor him with his polished striking? Probably not. Does he submit him off his back? C’mon son. Hughes holds no obvious advantages over a guy like Koscheck, with the possible exception that he’s been in pre-fight training mode a little longer. But even though Koscheck took this fight on short notice, both men have had comparable layoffs, and both had to deal with a new opponent three weeks out. Maybe Hughes can come right out and put some leather on Koscheck’s surgically-repaired eye, but Country Breakfast wasn’t known for his stellar hand speed even in his prime, and he’s a long way from that now. My pick: Koscheck. Again, atrocious odds, but fitting ones. We’d probably have more fun betting on whether this will be Hughes’ retirement fight. I got a sawbuck that says it is.
Browne is now in his fourth UFC fight, and so far the most vulnerable we’ve seen him look was when Cheick Kongo pressed him up against the fence and clung to his shorts en route to a yawn-worthy draw. Maybe that was the smart way to play it, since as Stefan Struve found out back in May, this big man can swat. That could be why oddsmakers aren’t so hot on Broughton’s chances. He’ll be giving up about four inches in height to the 6’7″ Browne, and the Brit has yet to beat any really impressive heavyweights (no offense to James Thompson and Butterbean, both of whom have losses against Broughton). His best chance might be to get Browne to the mat, where his size and reach won’t be such a problem. That’s easier said than done against this behemoth. My pick: Browne. With all these huge favorites in my parlay, I’m going to have to find a crazier-than-usual underdog pick soon…
After being overpowered at welterweight, Diaz is back in the division where he’s had the most success and is taking on one of his brother’s former foes. It seems like a match-up that’s made for Diaz. Here he has a submittable opponent who probably won’t try to out-wrestle him. All he has to do is not get knocked out. That shouldn’t be so hard, since both Diaz boys seem to have been born with iron chins. It’s a good thing, too, what with their willingness to stand there and let people test their fists on them. My pick: Diaz. I know, another favorite. Sorry, but I just don’t see Gomi winning too many fights these days that he can’t end with a single punch.
If you’re looking for a big underdog who’s worth a risk, it’s now or never. Hunt has almost zero ground game. We know this — and when I say ‘we,’ I’m including Rothwell. The smart thing to do would be for Rothwell to get it to the mat as early as possible and hope that Hunt still hasn’t learned even the basics when it comes to submission defense. And honestly, I think that’s probably what will happen. But there’s always that chance, however remote, that Hunt lands one good punch and changes everything. Every round does start on the feet, after all. And — who knows — maybe after 15 months away from the scene Rothwell thinks he has to prove something by coming in there and knocking Hunt out. It would be a bad idea, but that doesn’t mean it’s out of the question. My pick: Hunt. Man, I do not feel good about that. If Rothwell plays it smart, I think he submits him in the first round. But all that time off, plus Hunt’s heavy hands, multiplied by my need to find a crazy underdog, equals small action on Hunt.
Quick Picks:
– Nick Ring (+120) over Tim Boetsch (-150). Call me crazy, but I don’t think Boetsch will be able to run his usual wrestling schtick here. And when that doesn’t work, he’s all out of ideas.
– James Te Huna (-155) over Ricardo Romero (+125). Te Huna’s just a little bigger and more aggressive, plus he needs this more.
The ‘For Entertainment Purposes Only’ Parlay: Jones + Koscheck + Browne + Diaz. It’s not sexy, but at least it’s secure.
Filed under: UFCWill Jon Jones successfully defend his light heavyweight title for the first time, or will Rampage Jackson get the belt back? Can Matt Hughes show he still has something left, or will Josh Koscheck send Hughes another step closer to ret…
Will Jon Jones successfully defend his light heavyweight title for the first time, or will Rampage Jackson get the belt back? Can Matt Hughes show he still has something left, or will Josh Koscheck send Hughes another step closer to retirement? Will the unbeaten Travis Browne take another step forward in the UFC heavyweight division?
We’ll answer those questions and more as we predict the winners at UFC 135.
What: UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage
When: Saturday, the preliminary card starts at 6 p.m. ET, the Spike TV fights start at 8 and the pay-per-view starts at 9.
Where: Pepsi Center, Denver
Predictions on the five pay-per-view fights below.
Jon Jones vs. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson The UFC light heavyweight title has been a hot potato since Rampage took it from Chuck Liddell in 2007. Rampage defended it successfully only once before losing it to Forrest Griffin. Griffin lost his first title defense to Rashad Evans. Evans lost his first title defense to Lyoto Machida. Machida barely beat Shogun Rua in his first title defense before losing the belt to Shogun in a rematch. And Shogun lost his first title defense to Jones.
But many UFC fans think Jones will be the one who finally goes on a long run as light heavyweight champion, the way Liddell did before Rampage beat him. Jones has the whole package as a mixed martial artist, and he’s just 24 years old and still getting better. He could easily be the champion for years.
So does Rampage have a chance? I don’t think he has a very good one. At age 33, I don’t think Rampage is the same fighter he was in his 20s. He looks slower than the guy we saw beat Liddell twice, and he hasn’t shown much sign of his trademark punching power since knocking out Wanderlei Silva almost three years ago. I think Jones-Rampage looks a lot like Jones-Shogun, with Jones winning in dominant fashion. Pick: Jones
Matt Hughes vs. Josh Koscheck Both of these guys are coming off long layoffs, with Hughes returning for the first time since losing to B.J. Penn in November, and Koscheck returning for the first time since losing to Georges St. Pierre in December. The biggest question about this fight is how Hughes and Koscheck will recover from their long layoffs, and from their decisive losses the last time they stepped into the Octagon.
But what we do know is that Koscheck is four years younger than Hughes and closer to his fighting prime than Hughes, and I think that makes Koscheck more likely than Hughes to be ready to bounce back from his loss and be ready to go — even though Koscheck is the one who took this fight on short notice. Hughes is one of the all-time great UFC fighters, with an all-time record 18 wins inside the Octagon. But at this point in their careers, I think Koscheck is both a better wrestler and a better striker than Hughes, and I don’t see Hughes getting No. 19. Pick: Koscheck
Travis Browne vs. Rob Broughton Browne is coming off a great knockout of Stefan Struve in May, which improved his record to 11-0-1. He’s a big, powerful heavyweight who hasn’t yet shown that he can be a complete mixed martial artist but has shown that he can hit really, really hard.
Broughton hits hard, too, and he has a better ground game than Browne. But I don’t see Broughton being able to take this fight to the ground, and if they stand and trade punches, that’s exactly what Browne wants. Look for Browne to knock Broughton out. Pick: Browne
Nate Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi When Nate’s big brother Nick Diaz submitted Gomi in 2007, it was a major upset: Gomi was widely regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world at the time. But that was a long time ago, and no one should be surprised when Nate Diaz submits Gomi. A loss here will drop Gomi to 1-3 in the UFC and serve as another reminder that the Gomi of the Pride years is gone for good. Pick: Diaz
Ben Rothwell vs. Mark Hunt
Speaking of guys from the Pride days who don’t have it anymore, it’s kind of amazing that Hunt — who has a career record below .500 and has lost six of his last seven — is actually in the UFC at all. Hunt still has punching power, as Chris Tuchscherer found out the hard way at UFC 127, but if Rothwell is completely recovered from the torn ACL that has kept him out since June of 2010, he should beat Hunt easily. Pick: Rothwell
Light Heavyweight Championship: Jon Jones (c) vs Quinton Jackson Such a tough call. Jones is the guy who can lay on the strikes and if the fight gets past the second round, I think Quinton has little chance of winning. The only X-factor here is his training at the Muscle Pharm training center. Rampage is […]
Light Heavyweight Championship: Jon Jones (c) vs Quinton Jackson
Such a tough call. Jones is the guy who can lay on the strikes and if the fight gets past the second round, I think Quinton has little chance of winning. The only X-factor here is his training at the Muscle Pharm training center. Rampage is notorious for hating training camps. This time he lived at Muscle Pharm – yes slept at the gym. That has to count for something big. Jones is dynamic and fluid and inventive. I knew he would be good when I saw him on a highlight of some no name show in New Jersey. His range is going to be a problem for Quinton. Its hard for him to drop his power while punching upwards.
The obvious play here is Jones. I think he is going to win. However, at -500 and Quinton at +350 I see value in his one punch KO ability. Not only that he has the chance of a GnP win if he catches him mildly.
Welterweight bout: Matt Hughes vs Josh Koscheck
Josh Koshcheck is going to be faster and put out more output. Koshcheck is -500 though. Hughes is a good value play here imo.
Heavyweight bout: Travis Browne vs Rob Broughton
My prediction is Travis Browne continues to look good and wins this one.
Lightweight bout: Nate Diaz vs Takanori Gomi
The reach is going to be a problem with Diaz. Diaz is also going to be more aggressive. If this goes to a decision likely it goes to Diaz. The odds have Diaz favored and I think that’s fair. Would love to see Gomi recapture his former glory, but against Diaz I don’t see it happening as his range will keep that overhand out of his way.
Heavyweight bout: Ben Rothwell vs Mark Hunt
Ugh again Rothwell has disappointed me in his last two outings and he is going against Hunt here. The two of these heavyweights will stand the entire time. That favors Mark Hunt. Hunt can take the best hits out there and not go out. Rothwell is going to have to submit him to stop him, which isn’t difficult.
Hunt on the other hand carries one touch power in his hands, not likely ever seen by Rothwell. Hunt is K-1 experienced. Again underdog value here with Hunt at +240.
Preliminary Card (Spike TV)
Lightweight bout: Tony Ferguson vs Aaron Riley
Tony is favored -300 here, but I think again the underdog in this one has excellent value. Riley is a zombie and is hard to stop. Ferguson is a great striker and Riley has had problems with them before. In fact that is who have beaten him if you look at his record. If this fight turns into a grind that will play into Riley’s hands. I like Riley in the underdog position here.
Middleweight bout: Nick Ring vs Tim Boetsch
Thinking Boetsch.
Preliminary Card (Facebook)
Featherweight bout: Junior Assunção vs Eddie Yagin
Assuncao’s back in the cage again? I thought he just fought and won like 2 UFC’s ago. I got Assuncao.
Bantamweight bout: Takeya Mizugaki vs Cole Escovedo
I like Cole Escovedo here. Value play.
Light Heavyweight bout: James Te Huna vs Ricardo Romero
Ricardo Romero – hopefully his conditioning is better. I got him.
In: “I WANT MY BELT BACK!” Out: “There’s gone be some black on black crime.” VidProps: UFC/YouTube
Check this out: official UFC propaganda would have us believe that Rampage Jackson is actually out there somewhere working. They even have the nerve to pause on a calendar square labeled “JIU JITSU”, when we all know damn well that ‘Page would pull guard right after he lets someone hold an umbrella for him.
In: “I WANT MY BELT BACK!” Out: “There’s gone be some black on black crime.” VidProps: UFC/YouTube
Check this out: official UFC propaganda would have us believe that Rampage Jackson is actually out there somewhere working. They even have the nerve to pause on a calendar square labeled “JIU JITSU”, when we all know damn well that ‘Page would pull guard right after he lets someone hold an umbrella for him.
Main Card Light Heavyweight Championship: Jon Jones vs Quinton Jackson
Matt Hughes vs Diego Sanchez
Ben Rothwell vs Mark Hunt
Nate Diaz vs Takanori Gomi
Travis Browne vs Rob Broughton
Spike Card
Tony Ferguson vs Aaron Riley
Nick Ring vs Tim Boetsch
Facebook Card
James Te Huna vs Ricardo Romero
Takeya Mizugaki vs Cole Escovedo
We were supposed to get a fight between Kid Yamamoto and Damacio Page, but it was announced yesterday that both guys had managed to get hurt in training.
The main eventers have 
Will