Ben Rothwell has admitted that cutting weight for his last fight was the hardest thing he’s ever done in his life.
Rothwell, 43, was crowned the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship’s (BKFC) new heavyweight champion in Philadelphia on Saturday night.
He knocked out Britain’s Mick Terrill in the co-main event of KnuckleMania V, which was headlined by Jeremy Stephens’ emphatic win over Eddie Alvarez.
KnuckleMania V smashed records as over 17,000 fans packed into the Wells Fargo Center, reportedly marking the city’s biggest-ever combat sports event in modern history.
Rothwell is a former UFC heavyweight and amassed a 39-14 record in pro MMA prior to his run in BKFC.
His last fight in Dana White’s promotion was a defeat in 2021, and the American revealed he was attracted to sign for BKFC as he was informed that he wouldn’t have to worry about weight classes.
However, it turned out to be quite the opposite case, as Rothwell said the pounds he was forced to shed ahead of fighting Terrill was the single most challenging thing of his career.
“Honestly, It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Rothwell told Ariel Helwani on Monday evening when asked if the weight cut was a ‘tough’ one for him.
Rothwell, remarkably, weighed a huge 306 pounds only one week out from the bout and had to cut a whopping 31 pounds to make the 275-pound limit.
“I’m just around 300 pounds a lot,” Rothwell added, explaining why he was so heavy.
“That’s kind of where I’m at. Not to make excuses, but I have two very young children and to keep my family together I have to help, so that is its own stress outside of [fighting].”
‘Big’ then opened up about the stresses of opening up his brand new gym, which he had a two day window to achieve in the build up to his fight.
“I thought i was on track,” Rothwell said. “I was in California and two weeks out I was heavy. I was just like: ‘Hey, I gotta get this done.’
“And a week out I’m 306 and I say: ‘This is going to be tough,’ but I think I can do it.
“My friend had George Lockhart’s phone number, I thought I’d just reach out to him and see what he says.
“I did, he responded and he told me: ‘Ben! I’ve been watching you for years now, I’m gonna help you out!’
“And…did he ever. That guy is a genius. He is incredible, and he is very much a part of me winning this title because he got 31 pounds off of me and I made the weight on Friday.”
George Lockhart is one of best trainers in combat sports and is currently working with Joseph Parker ahead of his fight with Daniel Dubois on February 22.
‘Big’ also went on to shockingly reveal that he is now a free agent, with his BKFC contract having now expired, and that it would be on his bucket list to put on the boxing gloves and enter the squared circle.
Following four bare knuckle bouts, the former UFC fighter is now targeting a move to boxing with names like Francis Ngannou and Anthony Joshua on his list of dream match-ups.
“Right now I’m a free agent, I very much love the BKFC, I love David Feldman and I would like to continue, even finish my career here,” Rothwell concluded.
“How much time have I got? Maybe a year or so, it really depends. But Francis Ngannou, Anthony Joshua, guys who beat them guys.
“To put the gloves on and prove how good at boxing I am would very much be a bucket list.
“I just don’t feel like I’ve ever gotten to show the boxing world how good of a boxer I am.”
The switch is understandable given Ngannou is said to have made around $20million for fighting Joshua in March last year – a considerable increase on anything he made in his mixed martial arts career.
