Ben Rothwell issues respectful callout to former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou: “I’m your huckleberry”

Ben Rothwell has entered the Francis Ngannou sweepstakes.

Ngannou made some waves in the MMA world after he parted ways with the UFC while he was the promotion’s heavyweight champion. Five months after his UFC exit, “The Predator” signed with the PFL. With the deal, Ngannou’s first opponent under the PFL banner is expected to earn $2 million.

As expected, this has prompted some heavyweights to throw their names in the hat in hopes of sharing the cage with Ngannou. One of those fighters is former UFC bruiser Ben Rothwell. He took to his Twitter account to lay out the challenge.

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Ben Rothwell vs. Francis Ngannou?

Ok @francis_ngannou is officially the #1 HW to call out.

I’m your huckleberry 💪

Congratulations on the signing 👍🙏 pic.twitter.com/BFtdn0q5d2

— Big Ben Rothwell (@RothwellFighter) May 16, 2023

“Ok @francis_ngannou is officially the #1 HW to call out. I’m your huckleberry. Congratulations on the signing.”

We can fight , it’s not UFC.
Everything is up for negotiation

— Big Ben Rothwell (@RothwellFighter) May 16, 2023

“We can fight, it’s not UFC. Everything is up for negotiation.”

No no , he wants it all 🤣✌️

— Big Ben Rothwell (@RothwellFighter) May 16, 2023

“No no , he wants it all.”

Ngannou isn’t expected to compete inside the PFL cage until mid-2024. During an appearance on MMAFighting’s “The MMA Hour,” the former UFC Heavyweight Champion explained why he won’t be returning to MMA action this year.

“First of all, it’s my life,” Francis Ngannou stated in the interview. “I will live it on my way if you’re happy, good. If you’re not, oh no, I’m sorry… Also, PFL will also need time to find an opponent for me. To build up the opponent, right? Because I’m not going in next month to fight, and also, there’s the boxing component. That is still in consideration.”

He continued, “We don’t have an announcement, but as I’ve said, I’ve spent a lot of time on this. We can have a big fight or not, or just a tune-up fight sometime soon. That’s what I’m hoping to have, the boxing fight before I fight in the PFL. That’s also one of the reasons why 2024 is the best fit.”