Ben Rothwell proudly wore the BKFC World Heavyweight Championship belt over his shoulder at the KnuckleMania V post-fight press conference.
The belt is heavy, but Rothwell felt a massive burden lifted off his shoulders.
Less than an hour earlier, the combat sports legend accomplished his lifelong dream of winning a world championship. Defying the oddsmakers and many of his peers on the BKFC roster, Rothwell dethroned Mick Terrill with a 36-second KO in front of more than 17,000 screaming fans at the sold-out Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
“It’s kind of tough to put it all into words; it still feels very surreal,” says Rothwell, who’s rarely been short on words during his storied combat sports run.
Rothwell enjoyed a long, successful career in MMA. He’s defeated his share of world champions, but a UFC belt eluded him during his 17 fights with the promotion.
“So many people have believed in me for so long and have wanted to see me get a world title, and I finally did it. At 43 years old, man, I thought I let the opportunity slip by me,” Rothwell says.
“I had kind of accepted the fact that I wouldn’t be a world champion,” he adds. “I went through the depression, through all the stages of grief, but here it is. It’s happened. It’s real, but it’s pretty surreal.”
Rothwell is happier now than he was before Saturday’s Co-Main Event showdown with Terrill, but he’s definitely not satisfied. He hopes for a quick turnaround — ideally in his home state of Wisconsin, where bare knuckle fighting is in the process of being legalized.
“I’m ready for anything,” he says. “I want to be a busy champion and leave my mark as a champion in the sport of bare knuckle fighting.”
Author: Staff
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