Prime Rothwell Would Have Ended Stipe Hype in 2015 (Fight Cancelled)

[ReadWrite]

At the height of his UFC career, Ben Rothwell was scheduled to take on Stipe Miocic, but the fight fell through. Rothwell (37-12 MMA, 7-6 UFC), who at the time had stopped three straight opponents, was scheduled to face current UFC heavyweight champion Miocic at UFC Fight Night 76 in Dublin. But an "injury" forced Miocic out. . . Now, Rothwell wonders what could have been if that fight had happened – and said it’s a fight he’s confident would have gone in his favor.

“Stipe and I were supposed to fight October of 2015,” Rothwell told MMA Junkie. “And some weird act of God took place and he was taken from me and matched against Andrei Arlovski two months later and started a title run. So yeah – that kind of reminds me, ‘What if?' It’s never going to leave me that I’m a horrible matchup for Stipe in so many ways, and he goes around and he’s the ‘baddest man on the planet.'

“I’ve gotten to a point in my career where I have to believe in myself – I just do. I believe in my skills. I always believe that you have to show the best that I can, and I’ve just gotta get in there. And once I get in the cage, as long as I can be healthy, I believe it’s going to be a good time. I’m done chasing things that are out of my control. It’s just about each fight: Go out, perform my best and be exciting. That’s all that really matters.”

"Let's Get The Party Started"

https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/02/ben-rothwell-wonders-what-if-stipe-miocic-fight-happened-ufc

 

[Jongoatjones7]

Without USADA, I could see Ben TKO Stipe.

 

[Sweater of AV]

 

[King.]

I guess it could've happened in the sense that anything can happen. Still think stipe would've kicked his ass quite handily. Rothwell does well against chinny guys who fold under pressure. Neither of which describes Stipe imo.

 

[Rvd Slmr]

Rothwell is just a roided Homer Simpson, who already got caught even before USADA came to the UFC.

 

[Mammothman]

Rothwell would have been a punching bag for Miocic, his easiest fight since Roy Nelson.

Ben should be glad that fight never happened.

 

[NoBiasJustMMA]

I think Stipe likely would have won in a similar fight to JDS vs Rothwell. Rothwell IMO just doesn't have the speed to keep up with Stipe. At most I think he would have had a 25% chance of winning in 2015.

 

[daemusvladornu]

No he wouldn't.... Not even close. Rothwell is barely a gatekeeper...

 

[DarkneT]

Rothwell being a decent HW is an absolute myth

 

[Final Say]

​

 

[Zebra Cheeks]

Ya....OK

 

[Persuadertron]

Big ben was cool. The lack of whatever usada bans affects him. No more IFL Ben, he sucks.

Make him fight Greg Hardy.

 

[ultra321]

sure sure... I hear cattle mutilations were up last year...

 

[chinarice]

I am being the sole selector of Big Ben because I think he catches Stipe with something big.

 

[Skarr]

not sure why so many are writing Ben off here...hes a big powerful dude and if the person he is fighting is sloppy he can put a serious hurting on them

I'd favour Stipe but not by a wide margin at all

 

[capnlarge]

I don't see how Stipe is hype. TBH I think Stipe is a little underhyped based on his in-ring accomplishments.

 

[mollox21]

That would be a truly exciting match
At dancing contest

 

[tenniswhiz]

Well, this was 4 months after 2015 Rothwell:

 

[revoltub]

The Rothwell who ko'd Reem is very dangerous for stipe. He's still a dangerous matchup

 

[sangreporsangre]

I don't think that Ben would have won, but it was kind of sketchy how that all went down if I recall it correctly. Stipe basically got to side-step Ben.

 

[Dorkman]

Like is this an attempt to get an unwarranted title shot or something? Cause Bens position makes no sense here. It's 2020, none of what happened in 2015 is remotely relevant to current day. I'm hoping it was just an interviewers question he was responding to instead him just soap boxing out of nowhere on this. I could accept that as obviously Ben wouldn't be like "naw he'd have leveled me" if asked. But if he brought this up on his own yeeeeesh man. Take a break.