Ben Rothwell: A Heavyweight Contender Reborn

There was a different Ben Rothwell that existed prior to September 5, 2014.

In the 13 years and 42 bouts that preceded his fight against Alistair Overeem at Fight Night 50, Big Ben had amassed a reputation for being a game opponent inside the cage. The Wisconsin native had competed on a multitude of stages around the globe and consistently held rank as one of the better heavyweights on the planet. That said, even with solid streaks of success he'd never been the best, and alternating wins and losses since arriving to the UFC in 2009 was a strong sign that reaching the top of the heavyweight mountain would never happen.

He seemed to finally be finding his footing inside the Octagon, but a nine-month suspension for elevated levels of testosterone following his third-round destruction of Brandon Vera at UFC 164 in Milwaukee erased any momentum he had. It was yet another case of one step forward, one step back for the Kenosha-based fighter, and slipping off into obscurity was absolutely on the table.

"I don't blame anyone for anything. Look at my first three performances in the UFC," Rothwell told Bleacher Report. "I won only one of those three fights. It is what it is. I'm real big on facts and dues paid. Even if you look at my one win coming out of the gates, it wasn't even a good-looking one.

"I had a lot of things that were weighing on me at that time. I was going through different training camps and trying to find a home. I was trying to figure out what to do, and it was a very confusing time for me.

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"Even when I started to establish myself I still had a few trips and setbacks. I lost down in Brazil. I had the mishaps in my Milwaukee fight with the TRT business. All of those things that brought me down and held me down forced my back against the wall. That situation gave me one of two options. I was either going to get cut and be done fighting, or I was going to be resurrected into this man you see now."

The bout against the former Strikeforce and K-1 heavyweight king was set to usher him out of the upper ranks and boost the Dutch powerhouse back into title contention. All Rothwell had to do was show up and get it over with, but the man who walked into the Octagon that night in Connecticut wasn't the same fighter.

Something remarkable happened in his time away, as if he had suddenly found a long-lost piece of the puzzle. What he discovered was a place to call his own, a team and gym he could settle into. In doing so, he found the confidence and peace of mind that had long been absent in his life and career. The results were shocking as he blasted through Overeem in a one-round display of fury and violence.

Most fighters Overeem had faced wanted nothing to do with his power, but Rothwell welcomed it and walked through it like a man possessed.

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His victory at Fight Night 50 would turn heads in the MMA community, and when he choked out a surging Matt Mitrione via go-go choke in the first round of their tilt at Fight Night 68, the new version of the Rothwell stood tall. A veteran capitalizing on a small window of opportunity to get the finish, the maniacal laugh in the post-fight interview, a resurgence in full bloom for all to see—it was clear this Rothwell was nothing to take lightly.

This Rothwell believes he can be the UFC heavyweight champion, and he's willing to dismantle the divisional upper tier brick by brick in order to get what he's after. 

"I just believe in myself so much that when I came back I came out hard," he said. "I established my gym and I have a family around me. I found a permanent base, and that was something I'd never had before. That training and foundation started to create a different version of me, and I think that has been visible. I'm getting more confident each and every time and becoming more powerful. When I told people they haven't seen nothing yet, that really means something. Just wait until my next fight.

"I've always been a big heavyweight from a physical standpoint. I've had skills and I've sparred and trained with some of the best in the world. I just didn't believe in myself and I didn't believe in my skills. When the coaches I have now first started training me they told me I have everything it takes to be a world champion, but I had to believe it.

"And it's not just about being intense because I've always been intense. I've always fought hard and brought everything I have, but I'm at this level of confidence now where I know when I walk in I'm going to beat that motherf----r's ass. I know what I'm about and I know who I am. And when you know you're one of the best in the world this is what you sound like."

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Back-to-back victories have put Rothwell within striking distance of a potential title opportunity, but there are a few sizable obstacles remaining in his path toward gold. He has set his sights on two possible targets for his next outing and believes a victory over either man will catapult him to the front of the title picture in the heavyweight ranks.

Former champion Junior dos Santos put himself back on the title radar after edging out Stipe Miocic via split decision at UFC on Fox 13 last December, but lingering injuries have kept Cigano from setting a projected date to return to action. That would make resurgent former two-time champion Andrei Arlovski the likelier option, and it's one Rothwell is eager to meet.

With the Pit Bull's current five-fight winning streak inside the Octagon and recent knockout over highly touted contender Travis Browne, the MMA community has once again rallied behind a fighter whom most wrote off several years prior. That type of attention has upped the Belarus native's stock in Rothwell's eyes, and with a loss to Arlovski earlier in his career, it also puts Rothwell in a place where he feels few will give him the chance to find victory.

That scenario only fuels his motivations. Rothwell is supremely confident he will walk right through Arlovski en route to a title opportunity in 2016. 

"Junior dos Santos is the No. 1 contender, so to speak, and that fight would be great because taking him on and beating him would project me toward where I want to be," he said. "But if the guy is injured and won't be ready for a while, it doesn't make sense to wait around. If it's not a title fight, there is no reason to sit on the sidelines when Andrei Arlovski is right there.

"He's put himself right next to Dos Santos as far as what he's worth. He's in a huge resurgence and people are really getting behind him. Also, a lot of people doubt me being able to beat him, so that fight is worth just as much to me.

"Crushing Andrei Arlovski is going to silence a lot of doubters. It's going to project me into that No. 1 contender spot. It's going to leave zero doubt in anyone's mind that I am fighting for that title next year."

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.