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After being cut from the UFC in March 2021, Ben Rothwell switched organizations and joined the infamous BKFC. Rothwell has since had just one bout in the bare-knuckle organization and currently has a BKFC record of 1-0 after easily getting the better of Bobo O'Bannon in his debut fight.
Rothwell finished O'Bannon after just 19 seconds of fighting, with the former UFC heavyweight's power proving to be far too much without gloves.
O'Bannon is a regular competitor in BKFC and has an organizational record of three wins and four losses. 'Bible Belt Brawler' has managed to beat Troy Beets, Zach Calmus, and Lewis Rumsey while competing in BKFC.
Ben Rothwell certainly made a statement in his BKFC debut and will likely become one of the biggest names in the organization. The American wasn't in terrible form before being cut from the UFC, only losing to Marcos Rogério de Lima after previously beating Chris Barnett the same year.
However, it seems Rothwell is happy at BKFC and is also seemingly going to return to the bare-knuckle arena. While posting on Instagram about the experience, the former UFC heavyweight told his fans that the best is yet to come from the BKFC newbie:
"Thank you to all of you for the support! Big shout out to @davidfeldmanbkfc for the @bareknucklefc just amazing to be a part of this! My best is absolutely yet to come. Also thank you to my sponsors for stepping up and believing what all you now know."
Did Ben Rothwell have a good UFC record before being cut from the organization?
Ben Rothwell fought a prolific 17 times in the UFC. He made his organizational debut against MMA legend Cain Velasquez back in 2009. Rothwell was defeated on his debut, losing via stoppage in the second round.
However, Rothwell went on to have a not too terrible career in the UFC, amassing an organizational record of nine wins and eight losses.
The American's best run in the UFC came between 2013 and 2016, with Rothwell winning four fights in a row. During this successful run of form, the 40-year-old managed to beat Brandon Vera, Alistair Overeem, Matt Mitrione and Josh Barnett.
Apparently, Rothwell was cut by the UFC from their roster because the heavyweight asked for a release. Watch him discuss the point on TheMMAHour:
However, his solid run in the UFC will end suddenly when taking on Junior dos Santos at UFC Fight Night 86. Ben Rothwell subsequently went on to lose two consecutive fights in the organization at the hands of Blagoy Ivanov and Andrei Arlovski. 'JDS', Ivanov, and Arlovski all beat Rothwell via unanimous decision.
