Ben Rothwell vs. Josh Barnett Added to UFC on Fox 18 in New Jersey
World-ranked heavyweights Ben Rothwell and Josh Barnett are set to clash in January when the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to New Jersey.
Advertisement
The matchup joins a burgeoning fight card which includes a top-10 light heavyweight headliner between Anthony Johnson and Ryan Bader, plus a welterweight attraction pitting Tarec Saffiedine against Jake Ellenberger.
Rothwell, 34, will go in search of his fourth consecutive win following a first-round submission of Matt Mitrione in June. The 6-foot-4 Wisconsinite was slated to face Stipe Miocic on Oct. 24 in Dublin, but Miocic withdrew from the bout, and with the organization unable to find a replacement opponent, Rothwell was pulled from the card.
Barnett, 38, returned from a nearly two-year absence in September to win a clinch-filled, 25-minute decision against Roy Nelson in Japan. The onetime UFC titleholder has competed three times since returning to the Octagon in 2013, besting Nelson and Frank Mir but suffering a brutal knockout loss to Travis Browne.
Related Articles