Heavyweight bout: Ben Rothwell vs. Gilbert Yvel
Odds: ( Rothwell / Yvel )
The second bout of the evening pits former IFL champion Ben Rothwell against long-time veteran Gilbert Yvel in a very competitive Heavyweight matchup. Rothwell is very well rounded, but Yvel’s striking is really scary, so this should be an exciting fight.
Ben Rothwell, who was the IFL’s best Heavyweight during his time there, has very heavy hands and very good wrestling which he uses to maul opponents. He is also a very large guy, which is always an advantage. Against Yvel, he may well have the advantage in the standup due to his very long reach, but his biggest edge will be in wrestling and top control.
Yvel is a somewhat one-dimensional striker, but he has a lot of punching power, which any of the two or three referees he has knocked out post-fight can attest to. He does have some wrestling, but not enough to deal with Rothwell’s technical and size advantages. If he is going to win this fight, it is going to have to be with his punching, which is fast, accurate, and powerful.
Overall, I think Rothwell is just too big and too well-rounded for Yvel to handle. On the feet, he can use his reach advantage to keep Yvel at bay, and if he gets in trouble his wrestling is good enough to plant Yvel on his back, and he is going to be hard to get out from underneath. I expect Rothwell to take this one to the ground and overwhelm Yvel with position and ground and pound for the TKO.
Prediction: “Big” Ben Rothwell via second round T/KO.
To add a little excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com Odds. They allow you to start with as little as $20, and you can bet on all of the fights for the night. Check out my review of Sportsbook here…
