With the biggest win of his career now comfortably in the rearview mirror, Ben Rothwell (34-9 MMA, 4-3 UFC) is ready to take a good look at what’s ahead. Right now, that seems to be a May booking with a top-10 opponent.

“I did ask for something at the end of May,” Rothwell told MMAjunkie Radio. “I know that I’m on the radar for May. I’ve got to make sure my body is read for May. That’s what I’m planning for.

“I threw my name out there for a few different opponents, but Joe Silva is ultimately going to make the call. He’s going to decide who’s available.”

Of course, knowing that the UFC matchmakers will handle his next appearance doesn’t mean Rothwell isn’t going to offer them a few suggestions. Quite the opposite, in fact, as the 33-year-old said he gave Silva three names that seemed to make the most sense in his eyes.

“I said Junior Dos Santos would be great,” Rothwell said. “Stipe (Miocic), especially after those two warred – and Stipe is a guy that’s on the top-10 that’s on a loss that I wouldn’t mind fighting because he is still ranked high. Andrei Arlovski, because he’s off of a win, he got bumped up ahead of me. All three guys are ranked ahead of me.

“I can’t control who I’m going to fight, but I did ask. I said, ‘Please, I just want to fight somebody in the top-10 that’s ranked ahead of me.’ That’s who I’d like to fight. Obviously, preferably, you always want to fight a guy on a win.”

Rothwell isn’t currently featured in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA heavyweight rankings. The primary reason for his exclusion is an inconsistent run of results between 2008 and 2013 when he went 3-4 in a seven-fight run.

However, after downing both Alistair Overeem and Brandon Vera, a win over any of the three opponents Rothwell named would almost certainly be enough to get him on the list.

That’s exactly why Rothwell wants one of those high-profile names.

“I respect all three guys, too, so for me, it wouldn’t be anything but great competition,” Rothwell said. “We’ll just see what happens.”

Rothwell also wants to stay more active in 2015. While he was once one of the busiest fighters in the sport, injuries and personal issues have limited his output in recent years, and Rothwell wants to take advantage of his current momentum to make up for lost time.

“I know I’ve got a lot of fight left in me,” Rothwell said. “At the same time, I’m not getting any younger. If you look at the facts, I’ve got 15 years of experience in the sport. I’ve been fighting and knocking guys out since 1999. I’ve been doing it when the sport was talking about almost getting banned. I wasn’t doing it for fame and fortune. I was doing it because I love fighting, and that hasn’t changed.

“I’m never going to stop trying to improve myself and being the best mixed martial artist that I can. When you’re a martial artist, you’ll always believe in yourself.”

And with that September knockout of Overeem still fresh in his mind, Rothwell’s belief in himself is at an all-time high. And if he can parlay that victory into another big-time win, Rothwell believes he could soon be talking about a UFC title shot.

“I win my next two fights, I think I can go into it 100 percent, and I don’t think anyone can question it or deny it,” Rothwell said. “I think beating that type of opponent in the next two fights, I think I’m free and clear to go ahead and call upon for a title fight. With a third win, I think I could have that belt.”

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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