American collegiate wrestler and mixed martial artist (born 1982)
Jake Rosholt (born September 2, 1982) is an American retired mixed martial artist and former collegiate amateur wrestler. A professional competitor from 2007 to 2012, he competed for the UFC, WEC, Bellator, and Shark Fights. He is the older brother of current heavyweight MMA fighter/Oklahoma State NCAA Championship finalist Jared Rosholt.
Early life
Born and raised in Sandpoint, Idaho, Rosholt graduated from Sandpoint High School. He won three state titles for the Bulldogs and the 2001 189-pound (86 kg) high school national championship.
He attended Oklahoma State University in Stillwater and won the 184-pound (83 kg) NCAA Division I wrestling title in 2003 as a freshman and the 197-pound (89 kg) title in 2005 and 2006.[1] He was a four-time All-American[1] and 2004 Big 12 Conference champion.[2]
He placed second in the Big 12 Conference in 2005 and 2006, but went on to win NCAA championships both years, making him the fifteenth three-time NCAA champion in Oklahoma State history and just their 10th four-time All-American. He ended his college career with a 105–20 (.840) record.[1]
Mixed martial arts career
In the spring of 2007, Jake began training for MMA competition at the Las Vegas-based Xtreme Couture gym. He is signed with the Team Takedown management company. He made his WEC debut at WEC 36, facing Nissen Osterneck. Rosholt had difficulty defending against Osterneck's stand-up, but was able to secure a number of takedowns and dominate on the ground before winning by technical knockout. Soon after, the WEC dissolved their middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, and Rosholt was one of the fighters transferred to the UFC.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Rosholt was originally scheduled to face Alessio Sakara at UFC Fight Night: Lauzon vs. Stephens, but Sakara withdrew, due to injury, and was replaced by International Fight League champion Dan Miller who quickly disposed of Rosholt in the first round via guillotine choke.
In his second UFC fight, Rosholt defeated The Ultimate Fighter 1 alumni Chris Leben at UFC 102. He won the fight after choking out Leben in round 3. Jake earned the $60,000 bonus for submission of the night. Rosholt lost to Kendall Grove by submission on November 21, 2009 at UFC 106.[3] Following the loss, Rosholt was cut from the UFC.[4]
Post UFC
Rosholt was set to face UFC and MMA vet Jeremy Horn on April 16 on the "Bad Boys 2" card for King of the Cage, but the fight was canceled when Rosholt sustained a neck injury the day before the event. Rosholt then faced John Ott at Titan FC 18 on May 27, 2011. Rosholt dominated most of the fight until he landed an illegal knee in the third round, resulting in a disqualification loss. However, on June 21, 2011, the Kansas Athletic Commission announced it had overturned the ruling to a no-contest, stating that the knee was landed unintentionally.[5]
Rosholt then fought in a rematch against Matt Horwich at Shark Fights 17: Horwich vs. Rosholt 2 on July 15, 2011. In their first fight, Horwich defeated Rosholt by TKO in the third round in November 2010. This time however, Rosholt used a more conservative strategy as he dominated every round on all three judges scorecards to win a unanimous decision.
Rosholt made his light heavyweight debut against Matt Thompson at XKO 15 on June 2, 2012. Rosholt lost the bout via submission in the first round.
Rosholt faced Anthony Johnson at Xtreme Fight Night 9 on September 21, 2012.[6] He lost the fight via TKO due to a head kick in the second round.
