Ben Rothwell is coming off an impressive submission win over Josh Barnett at UFC on Fox 18, but the No. 5-ranked heavyweight contender will jump right back into the Octagon on April 10.
BREAKING: Heavyweights @RothwellFighter vs. @junior_cigano meet at #UFCZagreb! Tix: https://t.co/rEuxZh1wk2 pic.twitter.com/4jUJCfgAAp
— UFC (@ufc) February 8, 2016
Who will stand opposite Rothwell? No. 6-ranked Junior Dos Santos. The UFC made the official announcement early Monday morning.
Dos Santos most recently competed at UFC on Fox 17 in Orlando and suffered a brutal TKO loss at the hands of Alistair Overeem. The former champion will get a chance to bounce right back into the title picture with a win over Rothwell in Zagreb, Croatia.
UFC Fight Night 86 will be the first event the promotion has held in Croatia.
Rothwell is riding a four-fight win streak into the event with all four wins avoiding the scorecards. The only other heavyweight with a comparable record is champion Fabricio Werdum. Rothwell should have been in title contention after his win over Barnett, but this fight brings a lot of risk along with it.
Hey, @FabricioWerdum just said "no Rothwell, he not ready for @ufc title" I say "that's exactly what fear sounds like" "I Coming4U"
— Big Ben Rothwell (@RothwellFighter) February 5, 2016
Dos Santos has not looked the same since suffering back-to-back drubbings at the hands of Cain Velasquez, but the former champion is still one of the most dangerous heavyweights on the planet. His heavy hands and jiu-jitsu will be difficult for Rothwell to overcome.
Overeem catapulted to No. 3 in the division following his victory over Dos Santos, but Rothwell holds a head-to-head victory over the Dutch striker. If Rothwell is successful in April, will he get a similar boost?
That's 4 in a row for Rothwell. If you told me he should be next for a title shot I would have a hard time disagreeing at this point.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) January 31, 2016
There are a lot of questions that go along with this matchmaking decision, but no one can deny that it is an exciting matchup between two of the world’s best. The heavyweight tilt should provide fireworks and many talking points.
The stakes will be huge for both fighters when the cage door closes.
Bleacher Report will continue to provide updates on the fight card as more details become available.
