Ben Rothwell hopes Mark Hunt signing with BKFC materializes, wants rematch that 'brings eyes'
Ben Rothwell is focused on capturing the BKFC heavyweight championship, but sees some compelling potential fights on the horizon.
If all goes perfectly for Rothwell, he will defeat Todd Duffee on Saturday at BKFC: KnuckleMania 4 at Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, then go on to challenge the winner of the night’s co-main event between champ Lorenzo Hunt and Mick Terrill.
Once that’s done, Rothwell, 42, said he will assess the state of his career.
“I think if I go out and perform the way I have been, I think there’s a very good chance I can get myself to a title shot,” Rothwell told MMA Junkie Radio. “I’ve got to get through Todd Duffee. That’s the first thing, the most important thing – not just get through him. I’ve got to make it look it good, too.
“I can’t just win the belt. I have to stick around and defend it. That’s the plan: Keep winning as long as my body holds up.”
If Rothwell gets through the next two fights and holds that BKFC belt, he said it would be hard to ignore the potential options on the table. He said he’s heard rumblings of names like Roy Nelson, Cain Velasquez and even Mark Hunt as people who could join BKFC’s heavyweight division.
He thinks Hunt, who he suffered a unanimous decision loss against at UFC 135 in September 2011, is actually the closest of the bunch to signing a BKFC contract.
If Hunt is ultimately brought in, Rothwell said that’s the kind of fight he thinks could be significant traction to both himself and the BKFC brand.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of talk of Mark Hunt coming in,” Rothwell said. “Some people are built different. He’s just an extremely old, tough man who has dangerous fists. … I hear things that he wants to get a couple fights in before he would fight for the title. Then he’s got his people like, ‘He gets the next title fight.’ Without fighting in BKFC yet? He’s good at promoting. He’s a name that brings eyes to him, and that’s always what’s appealing to BKFC is guys that have that following and fight a certain way.
“Mark Hunt has all of that. (It would be a) big fight for me even though it would be a rematch. It’s a fight I would like to get back.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for BKFC: KnuckleMania 4.