BKFC 41 video: Ben Rothwell forces UFC veteran Josh Copeland’s corner to throw in towel after third

Former UFC heavyweight Ben Rothwell continues to have success in bareknuckle boxing.

On the main card of BKFC 41 at 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, Colo., Rothwell stepped into the bareknuckle ring for the second time, to take on fellow UFC veteran Josh Copeland. Both men would leave the ring bloodied, brusied, and swollen, but it would we be Copeland’s corner that called for a stop to the bout after the third round.

Copeland had success early. He busted open a cut under Rothwell’s right eye by landing a right hand within seconds of the fight starting. The two big heavyweights traded hard punches throughout the round. The overhands from Copeland gave Rothwell trouble, but he was able to score with uppercuts and short shots in the clinch.

In the second, Rothwell found the opening he needed to drop Copeland. After beating the count, Rothwell continued to pour on the pressure as the round continued. Copeland was covered up against the ropes when the round concluded.

Rothwell continued his success in the third, but added hard punches to the body to his repertoire. Short punches in the clinch were key for Rothwell, as Copeland didn’t show urgency to escape the position, and essentially just ate damaging strikes until the round concluded.

Between rounds, Copeland’s corner saw enough and threw in the towel to prevent their fighter from taking any further damage.

During his post-fight interview, Rothwell asked the crowd if they wanted to see him take on BKFC heavyweight champion Alan Belcher. The response was loud, and Rothwell told Belcher to fight him or hand over the belt.

After exiting the UFC after 17 fights, Rothwell made his bareknuckle debut at BKFC 30 in October, where he made quick work of Bobo O’Bannon, winning by knockout in just 19 seconds.

Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie