Rothwell chokes out Barnett in UFC on FOX 18 co-main event

With his fourth finish in as many fights, Ben Rothwell's case for a title shot continues to grow.

For the better part of two rounds, Josh Barnett was able to keep Rothwell at bay with crisp jabs and solid clinch work. But "Big Ben" started to loosen up in the second period. He strung together combinations and backed Barnett up until he could get in close to wrestle with him.

Barnett went down low for a single leg and Rothwell was ready for him. He kept his balance while enclosing Barnett's neck in his arms. The two giants fell to the mat and Rothwell's grip only became stronger. Barnett had no choice but to tap to what Rothwell would describe in the post-fight interview as a gogo choke.

Rothwell has said that he won't talk his way to a fight with champion Fabricio Werdum, and he backed that up by instead calling out contenders Alistair Overeem and Stipe Miocic.

For Barnett, it was a historic loss. In 42 career MMA contests, he had never been submitted by a choke hold.