Both Ben Rothwell and Gilbert Yvel struggled against rising stars in their UFC debuts. For Rothwell, it was a crushing loss to the relentless Cain Velasquez. Junior dos Santos, meanwhile, was responsible for handing Yvel his loss.
One of them, however, was going to emerge victorious at UFC 115: Liddell vs. Franklin. Would it be former IFL standout Rothwell? Or, would the PRIDE veteran Gilbert Yvel make his mark felt?
The result follows:
The decision fight ultimately came down to aggression and control. There was no doubt that Yvel did some damage with a ground-and-pound flurry in round two, and his strikes–including a big knee and a big high kick–caused some pain in round one.
Ultimately, however, Rothwell secured victory by using wrestling and body control to remain in an advantageous position for much of the fight. He rarely had Yvel in serious danger–even a wild flurry at the beginning of round one did little to convince viewers that Yvel was on his way out–but he did have Yvel on his back for much of the fight, particularly in the third round. This was a clear win for Rothwell.
Ben Rothwell b. Gilbert Yvel via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)