Anderson Silva found his way to a first victory since October 2012 in UFC 208’s co-main headliner against Derek Brunson. “The Spider” last tasted victory against Stephan Bonnar in October 2012. Subsequent losses to Chris Weidman (twice) and current middleweight champion Michael Bisping came before a defeat to light heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier at UFC […]
Anderson Silva found his way to a first victory since October 2012 in UFC 208’s co-main headliner against Derek Brunson. “The Spider” last tasted victory against Stephan Bonnar in October 2012. Subsequent losses to Chris Weidman (twice) and current middleweight champion Michael Bisping came before a defeat to light heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier at UFC […]
Let’s try this again. It looks like another heavyweight bout has been added to the UFC 211 card set for May 13 inside the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight title holder Fabricio Werdum will go one-on-one with Ben Rothwell. Combate reported the match-up, which “Big Ben” had said […]
Let’s try this again. It looks like another heavyweight bout has been added to the UFC 211 card set for May 13 inside the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight title holder Fabricio Werdum will go one-on-one with Ben Rothwell. Combate reported the match-up, which “Big Ben” had said […]
Ben Rothwell may get the match-up he was supposed to get back in Sept. 2016. Rothwell was originally set to meet former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight title holder Fabricio Werdum at UFC 203. “Big Ben” went down with a knee injury and was replaced by Travis Browne. With UFC 211 approaching, Rothwell is feeling […]
Ben Rothwell may get the match-up he was supposed to get back in Sept. 2016. Rothwell was originally set to meet former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight title holder Fabricio Werdum at UFC 203. “Big Ben” went down with a knee injury and was replaced by Travis Browne. With UFC 211 approaching, Rothwell is feeling […]
The UFC heavyweight’s tweet to Dana White provokes questions over the recent growth in the introduction of interim belts.
When all else fails, introduce an interim title to the mix. Not the words of the UFC top brass, although in the past couple of months we have seen the introduction of a secondary belt to the featherweight and lightweight divisions in times of promotional crisis, and the absence of a champion [McGregor].
The decision drew criticism from some, who felt that it was a weak effort on behalf of the promotion to make the PPV event worthwhile. Conor McGregor was simultaneously stripped of (or voluntarily relinquished) his 145 pound strap, with the winner of the Holloway/Pettis strap facing [new champion] Jose Aldo for the “real” title. From the promotions perspective, selling the fight as a title eliminator would not have held as much weight without a physical belt, given the UFC’s track record for reneging on title-shot promises.
While fans and associates of Conor McGregor were among the first to ridicule the introduction of the belt, McGregor himself was not averse to hoisting the interim gold over his head in his win over Chad Mendes at UFC 189. These belts arguably grant the victor with an elevation on their stock, but to many fans they are somewhat worthless in the grand scheme.
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson was made official for UFC 209 this week, in a fight spiced up (once again) by an interim belt. McGregor is likely out of action until the end of the year, so the possibility of the winner between the Russian and the American having to defend (and possibly lose – confirmation, Dana?) the title of Interim Champion makes for even more confusion.
What makes this scenario unique, however, is that both guys are solidly in the #1 & #2 spots in the lightweight rankings, so the result should logically determine the challenger to the Irishman’s strap, right? Tyron Woodley v Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson is a title fight on the ‘209 card, so it is not as though the UFC are in a similar position to the Holloway v Pettis situation.
UFC’s Ben Rothwell sent a cheeky tweet to UFC president Dana White on Friday, appearing to poke fun at the President for this recent rise in interim belts:
One may argue that the new owners of the world’s chief MMA promotion are responsible for the rise in secondary titles, and being a business with finance at the forefront of its operations, it is a valid argument. Conjecture of motives aside, the introduction of a litany of belts has led to a series of mismatches, and a ton of promotional disputes in boxing – let us hope that the UFC are not planning on adopting a similar model of throwing a belt into the mix in just any fight.
The UFC heavyweight’s tweet to Dana White provokes questions over the recent growth in the introduction of interim belts.
When all else fails, introduce an interim title to the mix. Not the words of the UFC top brass, although in the past couple of months we have seen the introduction of a secondary belt to the featherweight and lightweight divisions in times of promotional crisis, and the absence of a champion [McGregor].
The decision drew criticism from some, who felt that it was a weak effort on behalf of the promotion to make the PPV event worthwhile. Conor McGregor was simultaneously stripped of (or voluntarily relinquished) his 145 pound strap, with the winner of the Holloway/Pettis strap facing [new champion] Jose Aldo for the “real” title. From the promotions perspective, selling the fight as a title eliminator would not have held as much weight without a physical belt, given the UFC’s track record for reneging on title-shot promises.
While fans and associates of Conor McGregor were among the first to ridicule the introduction of the belt, McGregor himself was not averse to hoisting the interim gold over his head in his win over Chad Mendes at UFC 189. These belts arguably grant the victor with an elevation on their stock, but to many fans they are somewhat worthless in the grand scheme.
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson was made official for UFC 209 this week, in a fight spiced up (once again) by an interim belt. McGregor is likely out of action until the end of the year, so the possibility of the winner between the Russian and the American having to defend (and possibly lose – confirmation, Dana?) the title of Interim Champion makes for even more confusion.
What makes this scenario unique, however, is that both guys are solidly in the #1 & #2 spots in the lightweight rankings, so the result should logically determine the challenger to the Irishman’s strap, right? Tyron Woodley v Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson is a title fight on the ‘209 card, so it is not as though the UFC are in a similar position to the Holloway v Pettis situation.
UFC’s Ben Rothwell sent a cheeky tweet to UFC president Dana White on Friday, appearing to poke fun at the President for this recent rise in interim belts:
Dear @danawhite, there must be an interim title at stake between McGregor&Mayweather,otherwise I just don't find it interesting enough.Thanx
One may argue that the new owners of the world’s chief MMA promotion are responsible for the rise in secondary titles, and being a business with finance at the forefront of its operations, it is a valid argument. Conjecture of motives aside, the introduction of a litany of belts has led to a series of mismatches, and a ton of promotional disputes in boxing – let us hope that the UFC are not planning on adopting a similar model of throwing a belt into the mix in just any fight.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight Ben Rothwell has never been one to hold his tongue. The seasoned veteran has faced a plethora of 265-pound bruisers including Alistair Overeem, Cain Velasquez, and Juinor dos Santos. One man “Big Ben” has yet to do battle with is Travis Browne.
That may change soon.
Rothwell was on SiriusXM’s Fight Club (via MMAJunkie.com) and he ripped “Hapa” for using Ronda Rousey as his “sugar mama:”
“I have no problems talking (expletive) on him because he brings (expletive) on himself. He’s one of the guys – I try to be nice to him and cool, and the more I learn about him, the more of his history, he’s one of those guys that’s just a man-whore. He’s a phony, and a lot of (expletive) pisses me off with him. Why did you suddenly leave a great camp that made him good and move to a (expletive) gym that’s got a lot of guys losing? For me, I think it was a financial thing. He went there and found a sugar mama in his girlfriend. He’s just looking to get himself taken care of.”
Rothwell went a step further and took Rousey to task over the way she’s handled her two losses. As far as “Big Ben” is concerned, we might as well have not even heard of “Rowdy” if she doesn’t make a comeback.
“What matters is now. What’s she going to do now? What matters is six months from now if she walks away from the sport and never fights again, she never has to have her name brought up again. If she can’t come back from everything she’s been through and being put on such a high pedestal and making waves, then she loses two fights and she doesn’t come back from that? Well, then she’s a loser and she never was a champion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lE_eaXV1r4
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight Ben Rothwell has never been one to hold his tongue. The seasoned veteran has faced a plethora of 265-pound bruisers including Alistair Overeem, Cain Velasquez, and Juinor dos Santos. One man “Big Ben” has yet to do battle with is Travis Browne.
That may change soon.
Rothwell was on SiriusXM’s Fight Club (via MMAJunkie.com) and he ripped “Hapa” for using Ronda Rousey as his “sugar mama:”
“I have no problems talking (expletive) on him because he brings (expletive) on himself. He’s one of the guys – I try to be nice to him and cool, and the more I learn about him, the more of his history, he’s one of those guys that’s just a man-whore. He’s a phony, and a lot of (expletive) pisses me off with him. Why did you suddenly leave a great camp that made him good and move to a (expletive) gym that’s got a lot of guys losing? For me, I think it was a financial thing. He went there and found a sugar mama in his girlfriend. He’s just looking to get himself taken care of.”
Rothwell went a step further and took Rousey to task over the way she’s handled her two losses. As far as “Big Ben” is concerned, we might as well have not even heard of “Rowdy” if she doesn’t make a comeback.
“What matters is now. What’s she going to do now? What matters is six months from now if she walks away from the sport and never fights again, she never has to have her name brought up again. If she can’t come back from everything she’s been through and being put on such a high pedestal and making waves, then she loses two fights and she doesn’t come back from that? Well, then she’s a loser and she never was a champion.
Former UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey has been the hot topic in the media ever since she made her long awaited return at last weekend’s (Fri., Dec. 30, 2016) UFC 207 from Las Vegas, Nevada. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned for the ex-champion, as she was finished in just 48 seconds by Amanda Nunes.
Former UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey has been the hot topic in the media ever since she made her long awaited return at last weekend’s (Fri., Dec. 30, 2016) UFC 207 from Las Vegas, Nevada. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned for the ex-champion, as she was finished in just 48 seconds by Amanda Nunes.
That makes it two straight losses for the once dominant Rousey, and many are voicing their opinions on what her next step should be.
Like many others, heavyweight Ben Rothwell has his opinion, and he feels as if Rousey’s next move could determine her legacy. If she doesn’t return after the losing skid, “Big Ben” says ‘she never was a champion’:
“What matters is now,” Rothwell told Sirius XM’s “Fight Club”. “What’s she going to do now? What matters is six months from now if she walks away from the sport and never fights again, she never has to have her name brought up again. If she can’t come back from everything she’s been through and being put on such a high pedestal and making waves, then she loses two fights and she doesn’t come back from that? Well, then she’s a loser and she never was a champion.”
In addition to Rousey, her coach Edmond Tarverydyan has also received a tremendous amount of criticism in the MMA community as many feel as if he isn’t the best coach for the “Rowdy” one. Rousey’s boyfriend and UFC heavyweight Travis Browne has also struggled since training under Tarverdyan, and Rothwell feels as if Browne made the move simply so Rousey could be his ‘sugar mama’:
“I have no problems talking (expletive) on him because he brings (expletive) on himself,” Rothwell said. “He’s one of the guys – I try to be nice to him and cool, and the more I learn about him, the more of his history, he’s one of those guys that’s just a man-whore. He’s a phony, and a lot of (expletive) pisses me off with him. Why did you suddenly leave a great camp that made him good and move to a (expletive) gym that’s got a lot of guys losing? For me, I think it was a financial thing. He went there and found a sugar mama in his girlfriend. He’s just looking to get himself taken care of.
“He’s got some brains in, like, ‘Why should I fight? I’ll just get her to pay for everything.’ It’s a good financial move on his part, but it hasn’t done his personal career any good and a lot of people think the guy has regressed and he’s not getting any better. He’s lost his footwork, he’s lost a lot of different things that made him good. We’re going to find out with Derrick Lewis. Is the guy going to get motivated? That’s one thing about our sport you can look like you’re just out of it and forgotten about then next thing you know you can resurge yourself.”
Rothwell certainly had some strong feelings on Rousey and Browne, but he also made headlines when he offered to take a two-on-one fight against middleweight champion Michael Bisping and welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, two fighters who recently discussed a super fight against each other:
Ok I’m deadly serious I’ll fight @TWooodley and @bisping at the same time 2on1 and take both your titles. Let’s all make money ???? #ridicules
