 Blue Belt
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 639
|
Interview With Ben Rothwell
Interview with IFL Silverbacks Heavyweight Ben Rothwell
By Cindy Ortiz, September 7, 2006
International Fight League heavyweight competitor for the Quad City Silverbacks coached by MMA legend Pat Miletich is none other than Ben Rothwell. After a brief conversation with the gentle giant following a recent event, I realized this fighter is a walking contradiction and is nothing like the menacing creature his exterior and ring persona has led many to believe he is.
Inside this 6’5 265-pound brawler from Wisconsin beats a heart of gold. To Ben, the true measure of any man is honesty, loyalty and accountability for his actions. This belief was reaffirmed last February following a match against The Ultimate Fighter Season 2 heavyweight competitor Dan Cristison that resulted in a third round submission defeat for Rothwell. “That was my first loss in about two years and I felt like I really let a lot of people down. It was very depressing.”
“You don’t understand who they thought I was supposed to be
Look at me now a man who won’t let himself be”
Alice in Chains (Down In A Hole)
Rothwell continues, “I had great people training me and was expected to win because when I had everything I needed at my disposal to prepare… and I fell short. I felt like crap and it bothered me a lot. I sat in my room with the lights off for almost a week and listened to Down in a Hole by Alice in Chains. I could relate to it because I should have done more to win that fight. That song played over and over and over… now when I hear Down in a Hole it really gets me going!
Cindy: It was really that big of a deal?
Ben: It was to me. When you prepare like we do, losing isn’t an option that pops into your mind. You’re surrounded by so many positive people and positive attitudes and people who are pulling for you and when you KNOW you didn’t do your part, it hurts. I don’t like disappointing people but I learned more from that loss, Cindy, than I ever did from any win I ever had.
Cindy: And what’s that?
Ben: That I never want to feel that way again! I had to be honest with myself and accountable for my actions; not preparing as much as I should have and could have. I owed myself, my family and the people I trained with more than I delivered.
Cindy: But what happens if you lose another fight from this point forward? You’re young and that’s a definite possibility.
Ben: Yeah it is, but the difference isn’t in whether or not I lose; it’s whether or not I prepare as much as I can and use the resources and support I have around me (teammates, family, friends, etc.) as wisely as possible and then do my best when I step inside the ring or cage. I know that I didn’t do that when I fought Dan and that’s why I kept beating myself up about it after I lost.
I also believe that had I done everything I was supposed to before the fight and ended up losing anyway despite my best efforts, I wouldn’t have felt so rotten because I would have given it my all. The only way to make sure that doesn’t happen again is to prepare and fight as best I can and that’s exactly what I do.
Cindy: Who is the most supportive person in your career right now?
Ben: Definitely my girlfriend, Jenny. I mean, my family and friends support me in my career but it wasn’t always like that. Jenny always has, since the very beginning.
There are two types of women with fighters; the kind who don’t get enough attention, don’t want their man leaving them, thinks they should stop training so much and they basically just try to bring a guy down.
Then you have the kind of girl like Jenny who’s very supportive who says things like, “If you have to move to Iowa I’ll go with you. If you gotta train, you go train and don’t worry about me.” She’s just very supportive. Not every woman can be with a fighter, just like not everyone can be a fighter.
Cindy: Makes sense. Now, what are the top 3 attributes you feel make up a good fighter?
Ben: (1) How they handle a loss; did they learn from it? (2) Being willing to learn new things and add to their game. There are top fighters out there now who won’t be on the top for long because they have their one style and they’re really not willing to add to it. They don’t feel they have to learn anything so they’ll be evaluated on number (1) in the future (laughs)! (3) They absolutely have to be hard working because there are no short cuts. It doesn’t matter how good your coach is or how good the team is that you’re with because if you aren’t willing to put in the hard work yourself, you will never be a top athlete. It all comes down to you because when get in the ring you’re in there alone and that’s where the hard work ethic pays off… or will cost you, if you don’t have it.
Cindy: What have you accomplished that you are the most proud of, Ben?
Ben: Becoming a good man.
Cindy: Yeah?
Ben: Oh, absolutely. I’ve had a lot of things happen to me and no matter what it is, I accept responsibility for my actions, I hold myself accountable. I don’t try to shift the blame onto anyone else and I strive to be the best I can.
When I started fighting seven years ago, my family and friends kinda laughed at me. I made up my mind right then that no one was going to stop me from becoming a fighter because that’s what I wanted and that’s what I felt I was supposed to be. I’ve faced adversity from the beginning it has made me stronger. I’m lucky because not everyone in this world has found exactly what they were meant to do. I have and it’s to fight professionally. Now people around me believe in me and support me because they see what I can do and they see that I’m happy.
Cindy: There are plenty of people who can’t make that same claim, Ben, that they’re happy.
Ben: Yeah, tell me about it! I’m lucky and I know that. I messed up high school pretty bad. I had teachers that believed in me because they saw the potential I had to make good grades and to be a really good athlete and I blew it; I didn’t really do either. The sport of MMA is like my second chance and I’m giving it everything I’ve got and, through this sport, I’m able to show exactly who I am as a person and as an athlete. It’s just a way of life. I gave up a lot for fighting; friends, partying, relationships with people who didn’t believe in me… but it made me a better person.
Cindy: That’s great, Ben. Was there a turning point in your life that helped to shape who you have become?
Ben: (pauses) Yeah… yeah, there was. I don’t talk about this much but it was a car accident... a really bad one. I was seventeen and it was just after I started fighting. I was coming home with my best friend one day. I had just gotten a new car, everything was turning around for me and I was finally starting to find myself. I was training harder than I ever had for anything in my entire life and everything was going great.
Cindy: What happened?
Ben: Well, we were right around the corner from my house and a Ford-250 truck with a drunk behind the wheel going what they estimated to be about 100 miles-per-hour basically ran my car over. He hit me so hard that my car flew into the yard and hit a tree, knocking it over. The impact killed my friend and the drunk driver just kept on going and left us both for dead. I messed up my ribs, both my arms, I had a head contusion… you name it.
Basically my whole body was injured in one way or another from the impact, but being in good shape from my athleticism from training and fighting, I think is how I lived and my friend didn’t. I could have faded away or whatever, but I didn’t. I have always “been a fighter” in that sense and fighting through the injuries was in my heart and that tenacity, I believe, had something to do with pulling me out of all of that. My best friend died but God kept me here for a reason. He has a higher purpose for me and I need to make my life worthwhile.
Cindy: Holy cow, Ben! Did they catch the guy?
Ben: Yeah, because his license plate fell off in my yard. They caught him passed out face down at his house.
Cindy: Where is he now?
Ben: He got sentenced, to like 15 years, but I now I hear they’re going to be releasing him soon. On one hand it’s kind of a bummer, on the other hand I should pray for him. I’m trying to learn forgiveness and I do pray for him, that he is going to do something worthwhile with his life
Cindy: Is he remorseful?
Ben: I don’t know… everybody is remorseful at first and then when they get let go they might change. With him, is he going back to drinking? If he does then it was all for nothing, but I can’t worry about him, Cindy. I can only worry about myself and what I do and that’s to do the best I can with my life.
Cindy: What about the future?
Ben: I’ve got dreams… things I want to do. I’m not going to fight forever; fighting is just what I do right now and I believe that I’m destined for greatness and somehow, someday and somewhere…I’m going to do something to better the world before I die.
Rothwell is set to fight Bryan Vetell at the IFL World Team Championship September 23rd at The MARK of Quad Cities in Moline, Illinois.
Vetell stands 6’0 and weighs 265-pounds and will be representing Renzo Gracie’s New York Pitbulls.
Tickets for this event are on sale and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster site.
|
