Ben Rothwell did not have the same takeaway from his first faceoff with BKFC heavyweight champ Mick Terrill as some others ahead of their title clash at BKFC: KnuckleMania 5.
Rothwell will get his long-awaited chance at BKFC gold when he meets Terrill at the promotion’s cornerstone annual event, which takes place Jan. 25 at Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia.
In advance of the title bout, BKFC had Rothwell and Terrill face off for the first time inside the ring at an event earlier this month. The pair went forehead-to-forehead in a tense staredown, and afterward, Rothwell said he heard some chatter that Terrill showed some fear.
He firmly denies that notion, and said even if it were to be true, it would be irrelevant going into the fight.
“I’m not going to dog on Mick Terrill’s skills,” Rothwell told MMA Junkie Radio. “He’s a defending champion. He has more bareknuckle experience, but he’s not more experienced at fighting than me. And that’s going to be a huge tell. We’re both very respectful to each other. It’s not an animosity thing, but it gets heated because he has the belt and he wants to keep it, and I’m going to take his belt. So that naturally creates the competitiveness.
“We’re after each other as far as that goes, but we’re professional at the same time. The night of the fight he’ll come at me, he don’t care. A lot of people are like, ‘He looks scared of you.’ I’m like, ‘Back a racoon into a corner.’ That doesn’t mean sh*t.”
Rothwell, 43, has made it known the BKFC title has been a goal since he joined the company. It’s the last major thing he wants after beginning his combat sports career in 1999, but as he goes through training camp, Rothwell said he’s got more left in the tank.
The specifics of his retirement timeline have yet to be determined, but Rothwell said he’s already transitioning well into his post-fight life, and that allows him to have less stress as he focuses on his most significant BKFC bout to date.
“I think as long as my body feels like this like I’m doing, I think I’ve got a couple years,” Rothwell said. “I can’t predict three years from now, but I’m holding up pretty good. I don’t want to do this five more years. I’ve got a lot going on outside of fighting now, because fighting’s given me the opportunity to get into some investments.”
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This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Ben Rothwell scoffs at notion Mick Terrill is ‘scared’ before BKFC title fight
