If UFC Fight Night 17 was your first exposure to middleweight prospect Jake Rosholt (5-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC), the former three-time collegiate wrestling national champion hopes you’ll give him another look.
Rosholt was submitted by Dan Miller just 63 seconds into that February contest, his UFC debut, but he recently told MMAjunkie you should expect something completely different in his Saturday night contest with Chris Leben (18-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) on the main card of UFC 102.
“I’ve been training hard, and I’m ready to go,” Rosholt said. “It’s a great fight for me, great opportunity to go out there and put that last fight behind me. I’ve been waiting to be able to do that.”
Rosholt’s wrestling background did little for him in the bout with Miller, and the 27-year-old was forced to tap to a secure guillotine choke. It’s an experience Rosholt did not enjoy, but one from which he believes he learned a valuable lesson. “There’s not much to talk about,” Rosholt said. “I went out there and got choked out in a minute. It’s frustrating.
“It’s one of those deals where you train so hard, and for something like that to happen, it’s frustrating. It was a huge letdown, but it happens. As much as you watch fighting, it happens. It was a good learning experience for me.” Rosholt said the pressure to perform well in his first trip to the octagon led him to fight a bit recklessly.
“I think I did go out in the fight and was just a little bit too gung ho going forward and not letting myself get comfortable in there at the start of the fight and falling into place,” Rosholt said. “I just got into a situation, and he put a slick choke on me. It ended up getting deep and tight quick – a lot sooner than I’m used to. Kudos to him.”
After opening his career with five-straight stoppage victories, Rosholt suffered his first loss in the Miller fight. Despite the setback, Rosholt said he was more disappointed in his performance than he was with the result.
“There was never any pressure about being undefeated,” Rosholt said. “As far as those go, I don’t care. I just want to go out there and fight my best every time. Going out there and getting choked out in a minute doesn’t really constitute that.”
Rosholt will now look to bounce back from that loss when he travels to Leben’s old stomping grounds in Portland, Ore., site of UFC 102. While some feel Rosholt may find himself at a disadvantage in the potentially hostile environment, the Team Takedown fighter said he’s not concerned.
“I’m from North Idaho, about six hours from Portland,” Rosholt said. “I have a ton of family in Seattle, too. It’s not far from where I grew up, so I definitely have a lot of support out there, too.
“I don’t feel like I’m going into his territory. Besides, it’s only me and him in the cage. It doesn’t matter all the fans that he’s got outside of it or all the fans I’ve got outside of it. It’s what happens inside of it.”
In just his seventh professional fight, Rosholt believes he’s prepared for what will happen when the cage door closes. “When I first signed with the WEC, I was signed for five fights,” Rosholt said. “I think it would have been perfect for me to have those five fights in the WEC and then move up. But just the way it came about, [with the WEC's middleweight division folding into the UFC], here I am. There’s nothing more for me to do.”
