No. 7-ranked heavyweight contender Ben Rothwell picked up his fourth consecutive victory in the division on Saturday night, and in the process, he became the first man to ever legitimately submit Josh Barnett in an MMA competition. Following UFC on Fox 18, the question is where does he stand in the title picture?
No. 1 contender and former champion Cain Velasquez was granted an immediate title rematch but bowed out again due to injury. No. 2-ranked Stipe Miocic stepped in, but then Werdum pulled out with an injury of his own.
The curious thing about Miocic's standing in the division as a top contender is that he has only put together back-to-back victories, and the quality of his opponents during his UFC tenure has not been head and shoulders above Rothwell's. Yet, he is next in line.
Then there is No. 3-ranked Alistair Overeem.
Rothwell knocked Overeem out in 2014. Since then, Overeem has put together three straight wins over impressive competition. But why is he so far ahead of Rothwell in the rankings when Rothwell has a head-to-head victory and a longer active win streak? Oh, and Rothwell has finished all four of his opponents during his streak.
The unassuming heavyweight is clearly not getting the respect he deserves, and he should make a lot of noise about his divisional standing to the UFC brass.
Given the mess that is the UFC heavyweight title picture, Rothwell will have to fight before another title tilt. Either Velasquez or Miocic will get the next bid. The UFC has shown its hand in that regard. Whoever gets left out is who Rothwell needs to pinpoint for his next opponent.
He has already proven he's able to beat Overeem, and that rematch makes little to no sense for the American. But a title eliminator with Velasquez or Miocic would be a worthy fight for a worthy contender. Rothwell has done everything that every other contender the UFC is eyeing for a shot at gold has, if not more. He should not accept any fight short of a title eliminator.
Rothwell knows where he stands, and he's familiar with the landscape of the division. He told Fox Sports that if the UFC goes with the formally proposed title rematch, that would leave him and Stipe available. And for a rematch of his own, he wouldn't mind avenging the loss to Velasquez. Andrei Arlovski is another previous loss he would like to get back, and “The Pitbull” is currently ahead of him in the rankings as well.
That simply would not be the most prudent fight following Arlovski's recent loss to Miocic.
Rothwell has a case to be in Miocic's current position or even to be the next title challenger, but the UFC does not seem to see it that way, despite his resume. After an impressive submission performance at UFC on Fox 18, Rothwell has to capitalize on the opportunity and only accept fights with title implications.
You only get what you take in this sport.
Make noise, Big Ben. Make noise. Force the UFC to notice your accomplishments and abilities. You are a contender. You've proved it in the cage.
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