Ben Rothwell has improved his bare-knuckle boxing record to 2-0 after his victory over Josh Copeland at BKFC 41. The former UFC heavyweight contender, who had scored a 19-second knockout in his promotional debut, won in the third round after a much harder fight than he had anticipated.

Rothwell was hit by two punches from Copeland within the first 10 seconds of the fight, resulting in damage to his right eye. After overcoming the adversity, Rothwell knew he had to win: he has one fight left in his contract with BKFC, and he aims to win them all before retiring.

Rothwell has now set his sights on the heavyweight championship, the current titleholder being Alan Belcher. Rothwell called out Belcher after his win, but he is aware that the champ is hesitant about fighting him.

Belcher, a former UFC middleweight, is a crossover success story, with a record of 4-0 as a heavyweight. However, Belcher appears to have difficulties with the weight class. Despite heavyweight division being officially classified as anything above 210 pounds, each state commissions it differently.

Rothwell, weighing 292.3 pounds for his last fight, has agreed to be 285 pounds for his next fight with Belcher. While Rothwell appears ready for the fight, Belcher’s attitude may be a roadblock in their matchup.