Getty Chael Sonnen
Former UFC heavyweight Ben Rothwell is now a bare-knuckle boxer, and he had some fun calling out Chael Sonnen during the BKFC 41 press conference on Tuesday.
The stars of the upcoming show, which takes place on April 29 at the 1STBANK Center in Denver, Colorado, took part in the presser, which included headliners Luke Rockhold and Mike Perry, as well as Eddie Alvarez and Chad Mendes, who will fill the co-main event slot.
Rothwell and BKFC women’s flyweight champion Christine Ferea attended as well. Ferea is slated to defend her belt against Australia’s Bec Rawlings, and because the latter is preparing at home, she wasn’t a part of the press conference.
For “Big Ben,” he’s linked to Josh Watson, but it was revealed during the presser that “details” would be shared about the matchup soon — alluding to the possible withdrawal of Watson.
Rothwell made it clear that he doesn’t expect to be fighting Watson in Denver either. “You heard it,” Rothwell said. “They’re looking for an opponent. That’s unfortunate. But, I know the entire BKFC is on top of it. They’ve had a lot of offers coming in, believe it or not.”
Sonnen First Praised Big Ben’s Physical Prowess
Prior to Rothwell getting the mic, Sonnen, who took part in the media event to help with the promotion, talked up the combatants on stage, but he specifically focused in on the 6’4″ Rothwell, who weighed nearly 300 pounds in his last outing. “Generally when I come to things like this, I’m jealous,” Sonnen said. “I look around and I think, ‘Why did [BKFC president David] Feldman not offer me a contract? I want to be doing something like this.’
“I do not feel like that on this stage. There’s not one of the guys I’d want to tangle with. Joe Rogan came through Portland in 2008 — I went and caught his comedy routine. He was telling the world [about him] interviewing Brock Lesnar at that time and that Joe tries to look cool and look like he’s collected. But, he knows Brock could do anything including murder him right in that interview, and there would be nobody that could stop him.
“And it’s the first thing I felt when I saw Ben Rothwell on the stage. I thought, ‘Wait a minute. Somebody is going to get in there with that man? Without gloves on, somebody is going to toe the line. No wonder it’s [to be announced]. No wonder the last opponent didn’t work out.”
Rothwell parted ways with the UFC last year and made his bare-knuckle debut in October, knocking out Bobo O’Bannon within 19 seconds of their BKFC 30 clash.
Sonnen & Rothwell Had Apparent Light-Hearted Banter With Rothwell Calling Him Out
Well, Rothwell, who is known for his eccentric personality, didn’t offer the three-time UFC title challenger any sort of praise. Instead, he challenged “The American Gangster,” leading to some back-and-forth banter.
“I think it’s going to be Chael Sonnen,” Rothwell said about Sonnen being his replacement opponent. “We’ve got to bring the guy out of retirement. He talks a big game but they brought him in, he’s down there on the other end. I think clearly we need to bring him out of retirement. He had talked a lot of trash on me over the past. So, I want to see what this guy can do in there with me. He made fun of my brother back when we first met. So, I’ve got to redeem my family. Let’s do it, Chael.”
“Man, I thought you were kidding at first,” Sonnen replied. “But that’s a real challenge — I’m being challenged right now, aren’t I? Can I have a little time to get back to you?”
“Well, I’m about to jump up,” Big Ben cut in. “And look at the security guards. I mean, really that’s why they brought [them], when I jump up and start freaking out, those guys are going to stop me. So, it might happen now, buddy. Keep going.”
“You know the fight’s two weeks away, and right now I’ve got a higher juice concentration than Tropicana,” Sonnen said. “Like, you’re accepting of that? We don’t have to go through this whole thing?”
“You need it, it’s fine,” Rothwell said, ending the conversation.
Of course, there is little possibility the retired professional mixed martial artist would step inside the ring with Big Ben, especially on a few weeks’ notice. Watch the entire back and forth below via the embedded YouTube video: