Good guys and bad business
Anyone past a certain age of gestation knows they’re two type of people, the innocent and the wolves. You would think the wolves would’ve eaten off the innocent by now, but somehow the good find a way to survive. In business however, this is not always the case. It’s no secret that the UFC is getting more and more cut throat. As the promotion gets bigger it seems more and more decisions are being made for economic gain. With Dana White and Lorenzo Fertita holding all the keys to the rings you either get with the program or get out. Don’t get me wrong a win is still a win but in this business “a closed mouth don’t get fed”, and you’ve got to look out for “A-number one.” Ben Rothwell found that out this Sunday in a devastating loss to then #6 ranked Junior Dos Santos. In January, after his win against Josh Barnett at UFC ON FOX 18 via go-go choke, Ben Rothwell seemed to be on top of the world, submitting the grappling artist in the second round and well on his way to a shot at the title…he put out this statement in the post fight presser outlying where his intentions lie.
“The bottom line is I think the belt is secondary, because my No. 1 priority is laying waste to this entire division, tonight, it wasn’t about dancing or laughing. It was about making a statement, and I made it tonight.”
The problem with that statement, is that he meant it. Putting his fists where his mouth his and accepting a fight with the seemingly faded but always dangerous Junior “Cigano” Dos Anjos who lost 3 out of his last 5 bouts. While his fans and UFC purist were calling “bullshit” claiming Ben deserved a bigger fight, Rothwell took to the MMA hour defending his decision claiming half of the heavyweights were hurt and that he didn’t want to be out for a year. unfortunately for him things didn’t turn out exactly as planned. https://youtu.be/WSy70OIX7Og?t=26m Guys like Ben Rothwell and Frankie Edgar have a big heart, but is this attitude truly rewarded in the UFC? True martial artists who want to excel in every fight and find out about themselves through human movement and constant growth seem to have taken a back seat to fan favorite, economically viable fights. Ben’s management team should’ve told him although you don’t have to sell your soul to the devil, to a certain degree you have to play the game. He should not have taken that fight. Sure it would’ve been a personal victory, but the downside was more than the up and ultimately he was USED by the UFC to fill a card in a dangerous fight. Do you think the UFC will be granting him the immediate rematch they’ve “gifted” Conor McGregor? I don’t. In the new era of UFC it’s a balance between sport and leverage, and “Big Ben” just lost all of his on  a raw deal. Did I mention Cain Velasquez is fighting Travis Browne at UFC 200…yeah Ben probably should’ve held out for that fight. What do you guys think of Ben Rothwell’s decision? Did it bite him in the ass or will it be made right in the end?
