Ben Rothwell didn’t have it easy against Ovince Saint Preux but he got the job done with a split decision victory in the UFC Jacksonville co-main event.
Facing a light heavyweight moving up to heavyweight, Rothwell still had his hands full over three rounds as the former University of Tennessee football standout more than held his own over 15 minutes.
The difference was Rothwell’s ability to press forward, trap Saint Preux against the cage and out muscle him with punches and knees on the inside. Rothwell repeatedly forced Saint Preux to walk backwards before battering him with uppercuts or grabbing onto the Muay Thai clinch and unloading a series of knees.