Ben Rothwell finally got back into the UFC win column last night (Sat., Dec. 7, 2019) at UFC on ESPN 7 live on ESPN from inside Capital One Arena in Washington D.C., as the heavyweight veteran finished Stefan Struve via second-round TKO (punches).
Unfortunately for fight fans in attendance and watching at home, this fight was dictated by two painful low blows. One came in the first round after Rothwell launched a leg kick at the towering Struve, who took all five minutes and some to recover. The second kick came in the second round by Rothwell yet again, as the powerful heavyweight tried to land a blow to Struve’s body and fell considerably short. Struve went down again but only took a few minutes to regroup.
Following the second break, Rothwell, who was deducted a point, went absolutely h.a.m. and rushed inside with combinations. Struve would return with some counter shots but Rothwell’s punches landed better and harder. Struve would eventually topple as the second round nearly closed.
Check out the full fight video highlights above courtesy of UFC/ESPN.
With this performance, Rothwell captures his first win since 2016 after coming back from suspension earlier this year and losing to Andrei Arlovski and Blagoy Ivanov. This fight may be remembered more for the groin kicks but Rothwell turned the heat on pretty quick when it mattered most. If the 38-year-old can continue to channel his inner urgency then he may be able to string some wins together in 2020 and get back into contention.
For complete UFC on ESPN 7 results and coverage click here.
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