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Fifteen years into his MMA career, Ben Rothwell is on the brink of Ultimate Fighting Championship title contention.

The 33-year-old Wisconsinite used a modified guillotine choke to force a frantic, double-handed tap from Matt Mitrione on June 6 in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night in New Orleans. Rothwell is not the active fighter he once was -- the win over Mitrione was just his third in as many years -- but due to the nature of the ever-shifting heavyweight division, he does not need to be. Combined with victories over Alistair Overeem and Brandon Vera, Rothwell’s current winning streak could be enough to put him in the title picture.

Post-fight, Rothwell called for a No. 1 contender’s bout with fellow veteran Andrei Arlovski, a man to whom he lost via knockout in 2008. For now, “Big Ben” moves up two spots to No. 7 in the Sherdog.com heavyweight rankings, while Mitrione falls two places to No. 10.

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