As you know mixed martial arts is an ever-evolving sport. Soon to be gone are the days when a fighter has a 9-5 job and trains on the side. Now we have investors like the guy’s over at Team Takedown who are giving young up-and-coming fighters the chance to train full time. With this I believe we’ll be seeing a new breed of fighter and Jake Rosholt is the front-runner. Jake is a 3x NCAA D1 wrestling champ and 4x All American out of Oklahoma State University. So how does being a member of Team Takedown benefit Jake? “Obviously it allows me to train full time, that in itself is a benefit that’s unmatched. They do a lot of things for me that take stress out of my life which allows me to focus on fighting”. One of the many perks offered to Rosholt is his world-class training. He splits his time between Randy Couture’s Xtreme Gym, trains Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with Marc Laimon at Cobra Kai and has been working on his striking with boxer Brian Clements. His 4-0 MMA record (3 wins coming by way of TKO) would suggest we’ll be seeing Jake in a major organization rather soon. “My managers have been in contact with just about everybody. It’s a matter of doing the right things at the right time. I’ve only been doing this for just barely a year now. I’ve got a long way to go, there’s a lot to learn. I’m in no rush, I just want to do things the right way and get ready to fight the best fighters in the world” Jake said.
In speaking with Jake I found him to be quite modest but he is not lacking in praise from some of the very best in MMA. Marc Laimon said, “this kids a freak, I wish I could clone him”. Randy Couture has said he may be the” best natural striker” in years to train at his gym and Dave Meltzer publisher of the Wrestling Observer says “Rosholt is in a class above both Brock Lesner and Josh Koscheck”. With all that said Rosholt feels he still has a long way to go. In his last fight he took on Chad Jay whom he took down at will and dominated on the ground, winning by TKO in the 3rd round. I asked Jake about his performance “I feel I dominated the fight but there’s still a lot of things I need to work on, so I’ll go back and watch the film and get back in the gym and start working on the areas I need to get better at. I have to work on my standup and just get more experience”. For a guy making the transition from wrestling to MMA, who better to train with than Couture? “I’ve been lucky enough to work out with Randy quite a bit since I’ve been out here. I’ve never really worked one on one with him, maybe here and there. I’ve asked him questions he’s really good at helping me and answering my questions. He’s a super nice guy”. So with the caliber of trainers he has and his insane work ethic (he trains 3 times a day when preparing for a fight) the middleweight division should take notice. No matter what major organization he ends up in he’s sure to stir things up. I asked Jake if he pays attention to the current middleweights on the big circuit “yeah I do, I hope within the next couple of years that’s where I’m at”. If he keeps up at his current pace it may be a lot sooner than that. Team Takedown’s motto is “Turning Great Wrestlers into Ultimate Fighters” this certainly holds true with Rosholt.
Jake Rosholt vs. Chad Jay – Part One
Jake Rosholt vs. Chad Jay – Part Two
