Ben Rothwell will face Mark Hunt
By Brett Okamoto
ESPN.com
Following a 12-month layoff because of an ACL tear, UFC heavyweight Ben Rothwell is scheduled to fight again, and will face Mark Hunt at UFC 135 on Sept. 24. UFC officials announced the bout Wednesday morning.
The event will take place at Pepsi Center in Denver. It's unknown whether the heavyweight fight will be featured on the main card.
Rothwell (31-7) had a unanimous decision win over Gilbert Yvel back at UFC 115 in June 2010. He's 1-1 since joining UFC in 2009, losing to current champion Cain Velasquez by a second-round TKO.
A 10-year veteran in the sport, Rothwell holds notable wins over Tim Sylvia, Krzysztof Soszynski and Roy Nelson.
The 37-year-old Hunt (6-7) looks to win back-to-back fights for the first time since 2006. He is 1-6 in his past seven fights, but is coming off a highlight-reel knockout win over Chris Tuchscherer at UFC 127.
The New Zealand fighter also is 1-1 in the Octagon. He fell short in his promotional debut against Sean McCorkle last September via first-round submission.
Brett Okamoto covers mixed martial arts for ESPN.com.