Big (Ben) Upset?

by mason_beer on Oct 21, 2009 11:48 PM EDT

Maybe its the hype from watching the Countdown show to UFC 104, but I've got this strange feeling that Ben Rothwell is going to pull the upset and beat Cain Velasquez this saturday. I know I know, you can say that about any fight, but having gone back and re-watched the Cain-Kongo fight there were glaring holes in Velasquez's game. He's still, to me, basically a wrestler with power and athleticism but I didn't see a full MMA game , . . its takedow, takedown, takedown and if Cheick Kongo had had a full camp to prepare for Cain, it might have been different. And its not as if Rothwell has been in their with cans . . .Arlovski, Krystof, Ricco, Roy Nelson . . . not the greatest list but a good crop of fighters to get ready for the big time.

Rothwell's size, toughness, power, and sense of desperation are what I think will win out. Any man who has fought for 10 years to get to the UFC is going to be about as hungry and focused as you get. In many ways, Cain has been the Chosen One of many MMA fans and the UFC. A lot has been put into him in a very shrot time, he's almost the exact opposite of Rothwell. Where it took Big Ben 36 fights to get to the big show, it took Velasquez only two fights. There has been a lot of hype behind Velasquez, and rightfully so but only to a point. He hasn't show the premier skills that he's suppose to have and clearly struggled on his feet with Kongo. I think that Rothwell will have

I'm sure many think I'm wrong, but I think Ben Rothwell, the hungry dog who waited his entire life to get this shot; will beat the golden boy who's been handed every chance in his career.

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I really don’t believe he can stop the takedown, and I don’t think Cain is as bad on his feet as he looked vs Kongo.

I don’t see the upset happening.

by Razzel on Oct 22, 2009 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Rothwell has a better chance than the odds put him at.

by Ahhhoki on Oct 22, 2009 12:01 AM EDT reply actions

I highly doubt he will leave his chin up like that for another 15 minutes.

by TheAlphaNerd on Oct 22, 2009 12:05 AM EDT reply actions

It really wouldn’t be an upset.

by MMASuPreMaCy on Oct 22, 2009 12:14 AM EDT reply actions

Ben Rothwell (+200) v. Cain Velasquez (-250) – Heavyweight

It really would.

Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.

by ufc4 on Oct 22, 2009 12:20 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

Eh...

Wouldn’t be first time lines are wrong.
=)

by MMASuPreMaCy on Oct 22, 2009 1:56 AM EDT up reply actions

That’s what an upset is.

Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.

by ufc4 on Oct 22, 2009 9:05 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions

I checked Rothwell at +235 at bodog

by J_Maddux on Oct 22, 2009 6:34 PM EDT up reply actions

I got Ben Rothwell winning this in an upset (sorta) special.

weoweoweo .deviantart .com -- @antontabuena

by Anton Tabuena on Oct 22, 2009 12:25 AM EDT reply actions

My opinion that Rothwell will emerge victorious has been pretty well advertised.

I STILL poop rainbows.

by Blackout612 on Oct 22, 2009 1:27 AM EDT reply actions

Yeah it’s a great upset pick. One thing your excellent post doesn’t mention though is Cain’s incredible heart, which he showed in spades against Kongo. That might be the factor that pulls him through this. Even though he’s become a sort of golden boy, he hasn’t seemed to let it go to his head.

by Dooda on Oct 22, 2009 1:58 AM EDT reply actions

this is why i hate the countdown shows

I actually like the shows quite a bit, but they can talk you into anything. One of the first bets i ever made in MMA was after watching the countdown show for the Chuck vs. Babalu. Those editors made such a convincing case for Babalu that i took him, and we all know how that worked out. I have money on Rothwell myself, so i hope they are right this time

by mo dogg on Oct 22, 2009 2:06 AM EDT reply actions

Just like NFL films

They give you hope when none is warranted. Though in this case, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Ben win.

"That feeling after you win and they raise your hand... it's like you have this energy that releases from your body, and it's like you mingle with the cosmos, and you feel omnipotent"

by woomikee on Oct 22, 2009 10:05 AM EDT up reply actions

Except for Penn vs GSP 2. It looked like Penn was slacking and it showed in the fight.

Beside the fact that GSP is such a dominate beast.

by J_Maddux on Oct 22, 2009 6:35 PM EDT up reply actions

Meh

no matter what Big Ben says, there’s no way his striking is of the same caliber as Kongo’s. Cup Cheick is a national Muay Thai and Savate champ, and is about 20 times more athletic than Rothwell.

Don’t get me wrong, Rothwell has a decent shot at winning this, as he SHOULD hold an advantage on the feet, and his TD defense is definitely better than Kongo’s. But Cain should be able to take Ben down and control him, and he might even have his moments standing. I mean srsly, Kongo is a guy who made Crocop look bad at striking (granted, the nutshots certainly played a factor, and Mirko wasn’t exactly in his prime).

Cain UD, IMO

Supporting all Las Vegas MMA. Xtreme Couture FTMFW.

'09 is the year of the FW's.

by ElliotMatheny on Oct 22, 2009 3:44 AM EDT reply actions

Clarification on Benjamins

Allow me to clear up any confusion the headline may have caused.

Big Ben:

Fat Ben:

Further, no, there won’t be an upset. Ben Rothwell is mediocre. Cain Velasquez is great. Not that upsets haven’t happened in similar scenarios, but calling an upset for the sake of being a contrarian is obnoxious. Or maybe some people actually like Ben Rothwell…but no, that’s even less likely than him beating Cain Velasquez.

...Behold, a pale horse. The man that sat upon it was Wieters, and hell followed with him.

"BJ on the BE" - Kierkegaard

by Brett Jones on Oct 22, 2009 7:09 AM EDT reply actions

Uh, have you seen Roethlisberger this year? He may be fat Ben at this point. Dude has just swelled.

"That feeling after you win and they raise your hand... it's like you have this energy that releases from your body, and it's like you mingle with the cosmos, and you feel omnipotent"

by woomikee on Oct 22, 2009 10:06 AM EDT up reply actions

Obnoxious?

So because some of us feel that Ben has a good shot of winning, that makes us Obnoxious?

I think “SOMEBODY HERE” is being obnoxious….not us. Don’t call people names just ’cause their opinions differ from yours. Okay?

by BNTHIS on Oct 23, 2009 2:02 AM EDT up reply actions

Ben’s family is hilarious, but Cain takes the decision here.

Keep firing Assholes!

Never trust a man with no shirt on.

by Ubernoober on Oct 22, 2009 10:19 AM EDT reply actions

The line is backward

Cain has 5 pro fights, Ben has 36 and has faced tougher competition.

I dont understand where all the confidence for Cain is coming from ….other than the fact that’s what UFC and Iole have told people to think.

It’s like how Spike edited the promos to make people think Kimbo had a shot at beating Roy. Dance puppets, dance!

by Headkick on Oct 22, 2009 11:13 AM EDT reply actions

Cain has 6 pro fights.

And (some of) the guys he’s beaten are guys a newcomer shouldn’t of beaten. Even worse, guys he shouldn’t of beaten so easy and in the first round. Cement head and Kongo of course not in the first, but he did make it look easy.

"Well... You're damned if you do, and You're damned if you don't."- Bart Simpson

by poundnground on Oct 22, 2009 1:05 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

i don’t understand how you can be so stupid.

by yngjzy on Oct 22, 2009 3:03 PM EDT up reply actions

can you be more specific?

by Headkick on Oct 22, 2009 4:44 PM EDT up reply actions

As previously stated

Cain has 6 pro fights
And (some of) the guys he’s beaten are guys a newcomer shouldn’t of beaten. Even worse, guys he shouldn’t of beaten so easy and in the first round. Cement head and Kongo of course not in the first, but he did make it look easy.

-poundnground

You then implied that anyone who disagrees with you is simply a puppet in the hands of mighty Zuffa.

Hope that clears things up.

by Shaun32887 on Oct 22, 2009 5:59 PM EDT up reply actions

well for clarification, i really meant marionette’s cuz they got strings, strings being pulled by the man.

for real, i dont think anyone who disagrees w/ me is a just a sheep. but i do think a shit ton of people are too heavily influenced by the promotor and media when, in my opinion record, strength of opponent, recent perfomance is a better way to evaluate a matchup. i mean shit, you read the blogs for the kimbo nelson fight, you saw how many people thought Kimbo was going to pull it off due to cast member comments, editing, Dana’s comments. Those people are the puppets. If you think Cain will win because you’ve seen his and Rothwell’s last 3-4 fights, that’s great, you did your own damn research and I aplaud you.

rothwell has the experience, fought tougher guys, and looked better in recent performances. I actually think Rothwell put in a better losing performance against AA than Velasquez did in his win over Congo, who I think is very over-rated.

and I’m challenging you to a cage fight. :)

by Headkick on Oct 23, 2009 12:29 PM EDT up reply actions

I don’t understand why you resort to name-calling instead of providing something relevant to this thread.

by BNTHIS on Oct 23, 2009 2:04 AM EDT up reply actions

And they tease us that he is going to fight every next episode.

by J_Maddux on Oct 22, 2009 6:37 PM EDT up reply actions

Cain was a 2x D-1 All American at ASU and won a NJCAA National Championship while at Iowa Central College. His takedown ability is better than Rothwell’s takedown defense, and I think he wins this on the mat (probably by a UD). That has nothing to do with the UFC hype machine, it’s just logic. Can Ben win this standing up? Sure, and at +200, it’s not a bad bet, but it’s pretty insulting to compare Cain’s legitimate advantage in wrestling ability to Kimbo’s hype parade. I mean come on, nobody with half a brain thought Kimbo was going to win that fight.

by mictlantechutli on Oct 22, 2009 9:55 PM EDT up reply actions

I don't know...

Did you conduct a survey with all of the people that only have half of a brain?

I STILL poop rainbows.

by Blackout612 on Oct 22, 2009 11:18 PM EDT up reply actions

lol I like Rothwell’s fat kid story. I’ll be rooting for him.

by IpullguardIRL on Oct 22, 2009 12:18 PM EDT reply actions

I hate Cain

I really want Ben to take this.

I like using semi-colons; they make me feel smart.

by Llewdor on Oct 22, 2009 1:11 PM EDT reply actions

i agree i wish congo had any idea of what the ground game is. i only had brief moments of joy during that fight and it was when cain was remembering who he was….. god damn wrestlers and there points.

by mr. gogoplata on Oct 22, 2009 3:36 PM EDT up reply actions

big ben

submission, second round

"All I guarantee is Violence" - Wand

by rockied on Oct 22, 2009 4:38 PM EDT reply actions

big ben

TKO, First Round.

After Cain inexplicably turns around and does that postfight crossing-the-arms-and-tough-guy-look, he gets KTFO when he turns around. (yes, I’m sick of that Rothwell/Cain promo that showed Cain doing that; looks like a dork).

by BNTHIS on Oct 23, 2009 2:07 AM EDT up reply actions