WASHINGTON – Ben Rothwell’s professional MMA tenure has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride.
Successes and failures, post-fight promos and suspensions – Rothwell (36-12 MMA, 6-6 UFC) has seen highs and lows. But according to the UFC heavyweight, the highs haven’t really been that high.
Ahead of his UFC on ESPN 7 bout Saturday, Rothwell was asked at a pre-fight media day at what point in his career he was the happiest. His answer was somewhat unexpected.
“Happy: It’s not really something I experience much,” Rothwell said. “I look at my life as a lot of mistakes and a lot of failure. I’ve been fighting my whole life. Some of my earliest memories have been fighting, whether it’s been fighting off bullies or fighting off disgruntled parents. It’s just a tough thing to think about, happiness in the sport. And I’m OK with that because it’s part of my driving force.”
So why does Rothwell do what he does? Why does he decide to compete in a profession that doesn’t provide him with happiness? The Wisconsinite said having a chip on his shoulder drives him to prove something to the world.
“I don’t do this for happiness,” Rothwell said. “I do this because there is something driving me inside. It’s something that goes greater than just getting my hand raised. I have something to prove. I have something to prove that’s going to go outside of me fighting just in a cage.
If Rothwell does experience micro-moments of happiness, he said he attributes his joy to the fans. Random strangers will come up to Rothwell and ask him for an autograph or a picture – that’s the closest Rothwell has come to pure happiness during his MMA career.
“Still until this day, I can’t believe the fanbase and the people that reach out, and the people that are inspired and excited to have me,” Rothwell said. “You want to talk about happiness? It’s those few moments where people come up and ask for an autograph.
“I’m in awe that they want a picture or an autograph. They tell me how much it means to them to watch me fight and how excited they get. I’ll tell you, that means something to me – something I can’t put a price tag on.”
Relative to his scale of having fun, Rothwell indicated he is feeling better entering his UFC DC matchup against Stefan Struve (29-11 MMA, 13-9 UFC). It’s his second UFC bout since returning from a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) suspension.
“I just kind of had to get over everything,” Rothwell said. “That’s what I do. I pick myself up and carry on. It’s part of being a mixed martial artist – a lot of ups and downs, especially in my life. I have a long trail of failure, but somehow I’ve done enough. I’ve had some victories and I’m still standing here. I took the time to make the appropriate changes, and I’m ready for Saturday.”
UFC on ESPN 7 takes place Saturday at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
UFC DC's Ben Rothwell says much of his career has lacked happiness – except one thing
