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#3. Ben Rothwell (36-10) vs. Blagoy Ivanov (16-2-1) (Heavyweight)
The #15 ranked Bulgarian Heavyweight contender Ivanov took on the 46-fight veteran Ben Rothwell up next. This was Rothwell's first fight since 2016 while Ivanov's last fight was a losing effort against Junior Dos Santos in July 2018.
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Round 1: They touched gloves. Ivanov was the more mobile fighter as he continuously moved and switched stances.
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Rothwell just studied his opponent and checked his range. Rothwell kept pushing forward. He tagged Invanov with a left but Ivanov answered with a strong right.
Rothwell looked humungous in comparison to Ivanov as the 5.5-inch reach advantage was quite evident. Ivanov went to the body. Rothwell rushed forward without much substance to end the round. Good round for the veteran though.
Round 2: Rothwell was more aggressive in the early goings of round two. Ivanov found his range as he connected more with some straight rights, jabs, and the big overhands.
Both fighters went all-out in the final two minutes of the round as Rothwell kept pressing forward despite eating a host of shots.
It was a much better round for Ivanov who got into a lot of strikes and combinations and even busted up Rothwell's nose in the process.
Round 3: Ivanov continued to land with the overhand left and the short straight left punches. Rothwell went high again with a head kick.
Ivanov had 45 significant strikes to Rothwell's 42 at this point in the fight. Rothwell swung hard and nearly landed a big left. Rothwell's awkward stance put off Ivanov. Rothwell with twin straight rights that landed right on the button.
Ivanov landed a left on the way out. Rothwell looked to finish off strong as he moved forward for the kill. They traded shots in the pocket. Some bombs were thrown right at the end there as they somehow, the heavyweights managed to go the distance.
Result: Blagoy Ivanov def. Ben Rothwell via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
The crowd booed the decision and rightfully so! Rothwell seemed to have done enough to get the W but the judges felt otherwise. Nonetheless, Ivanov picked up his first win in the UFC.
