UFC Quick Quote: Opportunity is knocking for Jake Rosholt

by Jesse Holland on Aug 31, 2009 11:33 AM EDT

"Leben hasn’t spent much time on the ground with somebody who’s really tried to pass his guard and advance positions. I knew sooner or later that was going to come out of him, he was going to get frustrated. He’s tough. He’s got a good chin and he doesn’t tap. I knew that I was basically going have to put him out. I want to become the best fighter I can become down the road. If I’m able to go out there, stand-up and frustrate people and really use my boxing and striking to set up those takedowns, they’re going to come easier. It’s going to wear those people down and give me more opportunities when I do get it to the ground."

Up-and-coming middleweight Jake Rosholt reflects on his UFC 102 win over former TUF bad boy Chris Leben at UFC 102 on August 29 in Portland. The decorated collegiate wrestler tells Cagewriter that his ability to frustrate his opponents will be the key to his success going forward as it was against "The Crippler." Does Rosholt have the goods to become a serious threat to the top 185-pounders? Or is he boarding a sinking ship on the seas of Belfort, Marquardt and Silva? Opinions please...

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I don’t know if it was Leben looking like shit, Rosholt looking decent or a combination of each!

by kevin on Aug 31, 2009 12:39 PM EDT reply actions

off topic, best thing ever, if u guys got kids, buy nerf guns! We over did it, bought 100 bucks worth of guns and ammo last night (including a machine gun that shoots 3 bullets a second. they hurt when u get hit, it’s a great way to blow off time and steam!! back to mma!

by kevin on Aug 31, 2009 12:47 PM EDT up reply actions

agreed kevin. I have 5 kids (9 and under) and our Nerf guns are a blast! Leaping and diving over and around furniture trying not to get hit. Good times!

It’s all fun and games until someone gets their eye poked out… then it’s just fun and games you can’t see.

by Dakatak on Aug 31, 2009 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions

lol, my son has a helmet and sun glasses, this is the best one we got. last night we blew off 2+ hours, I was sweating after!
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.coolest-toys.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/nerf-n-strike-vulcan.jpeg&imgrefurl=http://www.coolest-toys.com/200812/nerf-vulcan-canon-modded-to-fire-almost-like-real-thing.htm&h=442&w=504&sz=48&tbnid=ZaIYdgDTpNTY0M:&tbnh=114&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dnerf%2Bmachine%2Bgun&hl=en&usg=Ega12bHHU71fGJK42yZIFBtHtMA=&ei=gCcStXEMYOgsgPtotyUDg&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=1&ct=image

by kevin on Aug 31, 2009 1:33 PM EDT up reply actions

kev, where are you from? i want to play nerf.

by an 8yr old boy on Aug 31, 2009 1:39 PM EDT up reply actions

Where do you live “8yr old boy” I love to play nerf too

by michael jacksons ghost on Aug 31, 2009 1:48 PM EDT up reply actions

Hysterical!

by OJR on Aug 31, 2009 2:12 PM EDT up reply actions

want to make a movie 8 year old boy?

by brendan on Aug 31, 2009 2:29 PM EDT up reply actions

lmao. was waiting for close to complain about my post.
man, I’ve been doing 5 mile bike rides daily, my wife even commented on the weight I’m losing. My son loves it. I need to hit the gym, but even in my younger days, all my athletic ability was raw, not into the gym. Biking is awesome though, I got a new passion (other than mma, money and pussy)!

by kevin on Aug 31, 2009 2:36 PM EDT up reply actions

Damn you are king of going off topic.

by Cut the BlueWire on Aug 31, 2009 4:21 PM EDT up reply actions

I know, and you and the closer and maybe 2 others give a shit. I didn’t start the 150 comments of naming wrestlers the other day. It’s a better topic than 2 irrelevant guys that will not be in the ufc next year!

by kevin on Aug 31, 2009 4:24 PM EDT up reply actions

Used to play Nerf too during my younger years.
Even remembered the commercial here during Saturday morning cartoons.

Bluepit-Yes, Kevin is the king of goin’ off topic… ;)

by Syd on Aug 31, 2009 8:17 PM EDT up reply actions

yeah, but nothing dumb, I always garner responses

by kevin on Aug 31, 2009 8:25 PM EDT up reply actions

Nurf guns are pretty big around my house too!

by jet99 on Aug 31, 2009 1:56 PM EDT up reply actions

Well Leben has never shown much of a ground game so I can’t say I am surprised that he was tapped, got to give rosholt credit for hanging in there on his feet.

by Pickle on Aug 31, 2009 12:48 PM EDT up reply actions

…and the ref should be slapped for how long he let Leben get choked, he tapped and continued to get choked.. horrible.

by rawbert on Aug 31, 2009 6:53 PM EDT up reply actions

Yep how that ref didn’t notice Leben tapping I’ll never know, ridiculous referring again. I’m amazed how some of these referees are allowed to continue, someone is going to end up seriously injured because of their stupidity. At least some refs know what they’re doing, Mario and Herb both did great jobs in the two main events.

by David W-S on Aug 31, 2009 7:56 PM EDT up reply actions

I agree although it was a one tap and he was out. kinda tough to see if even a little out of position considering it was close to a “half tap.”

by kevin on Aug 31, 2009 8:00 PM EDT up reply actions

“Half-tap” man that sort of thing frustrates me, a tap is a tap in my book and if the ref was doing his job then he’d have spotted it. I was watching the fight drunk and half-asleep and I still spotted the tap first-time so it shows how clueless that ref was.

by David W-S on Aug 31, 2009 8:04 PM EDT up reply actions

not disagreeing dave, just go back and re watch it, he was out as he tapped, it was tough. An educated ref would have seen it was a tight choke and he wasnt even attempting to get out!

by kevin on Aug 31, 2009 8:07 PM EDT up reply actions

lol, yep, all of the above!

by Alpha Male on Aug 31, 2009 12:52 PM EDT up reply actions

Leben definately had ring rust. It has been awhile since his last fight due to the suspension, but all that aside, he was winning the fight up until that point. Rosholt did do a great job not giving up and going for a finish as it was his only way to win, but barely beating a rusty Chris Leben, is hardly the gage on which to judge if you’re ready for the echlon of the division. Not even close! I say give him Drew Mcfedries, Alan Belcher, or even Rousimar Palhares to see if it was just Leben not firing on all cylinders or if this kid has WW promise cause you can forget MW! Rosholt is one asswipping away from cutting weight.

by getrawbc on Aug 31, 2009 1:10 PM EDT up reply actions

I like that idea of putting him up against Alan Belcher.

by Jase on Aug 31, 2009 3:57 PM EDT up reply actions

I’m forced to agree. Not to take away from Rosholt, he did look decent, but in addition to probably having a litle cage rust from his suspension, Leben really hasn’t improved his skills very much while the rest of the sport seems to be passing him by.

by Jase on Aug 31, 2009 1:13 PM EDT up reply actions

Rosholt had a great performance, but there’s no reason to be putting him on the levels of Silva, Belfort or Franklin yet. Give him a year in the league or so then make a story about him being on the same lines

by Crackbaby on Aug 31, 2009 12:39 PM EDT reply actions

Agreed. Leben essentially brings toughness, but little else in the skills department. Rosholt gets a decent win, but there is a long list of guys at 185 who would also beat Leben I’m afraid who aren’t close to top ten material. As for Leben, I’ve long believed he should seriously consider a drop to 170. While I’m not sure he would contend there either, his frame has never appeared big or fit enough to compete effectively at MW.

by CL on Aug 31, 2009 12:57 PM EDT up reply actions

I was very impressed with Rosholt – very well-rounded. Let him take it one fight at a time.

by Stryker on Aug 31, 2009 1:01 PM EDT up reply actions

Leben is essentially a MW version of Tank Abbott. Good for a highlight reel KO every now and then but will always come up way short against decent opposition.

by attakdog on Aug 31, 2009 1:02 PM EDT up reply actions

Spot on comment attakdog. I was not impressed by Rosholt’s performance. He looked sloppy and just average for most of the fight. That said, Leben looked much worse with his wild swing-for-the-fences off-balance punching and made Josh appear that much better.

by Dakatak on Aug 31, 2009 1:23 PM EDT up reply actions

I don’t know if Rosholt was trying to prove a point or what, but he seemed to be fighting a losing striking game for most of the match, then as soon as he decided to wrestle he rolled over Leben with the quickness.

Obviously he’s not jumping up to top tier guys, but he showed some promise out there.

by Jason Harris on Aug 31, 2009 4:09 PM EDT up reply actions

Agreed Jason. He acted as though he thought he would prove how good he was by playing to Leben’s strength and away from his own. Leben didn’t have enough to capitalize so I don’t know if that’s a credit to Josh or a knock on the Crippler.

I didn’t hate Rosholt’s game, just came away from the arena feeling underwhelmed by it. Very “meh” imo.

by Dakatak on Aug 31, 2009 7:37 PM EDT up reply actions

Scrappy fight with a nice finish (even if the ref should have spotted the tap instead of allowing Leben to go to sleep), Leben relied completely on the big left hand and showed no techique whatsoever whilst Rosholt was all at sea standing and literally ran away when Leben started throwing big lefts. On the ground it was a different story and showed what happens when someone with no ground game faces a gifted grappler, Leben had no defence off his back whatsoever.

The Miller fight proved that Jake has a lot of work to do, as he was easily caught in a tight submission and a win over a past it Leben, who is on the verge of being cut, is not enough to hail him as the next big thing. He has a long way to go before being a top MW. His striking is still poor and he hasn’t proven himself against accomplished grapplers, as he looked awful on the ground against Dan.

by David W-S on Aug 31, 2009 8:02 PM EDT up reply actions

I think it’s too early to tell how good he really is. We need to see him versus some more mid level fighters to see if he can hang with them.

by Killjoy_ on Aug 31, 2009 12:46 PM EDT reply actions

am i the only one that thinks the ref did not notice the tap soon enough..cuz then leben started twitching and sh*t..he did tap and then was still getting chocked out for a few more seconds..but i suppose a fighter does not have to stop till the ref makes him….

by sarah on Aug 31, 2009 12:49 PM EDT reply actions

I agree, also Randy was given a chance to recover from being ko’d.. not complaining, just saying

by kevin on Aug 31, 2009 12:53 PM EDT up reply actions

theres no correlation though between gnp and being locked in a tight choke.weve seen fights where one punch has put someone to sleep and the next one wakes them back up.everyone saw the tap apart from the ref wtf!

by scott on Aug 31, 2009 1:23 PM EDT up reply actions

I think the ref should’ve stopped the fight a few seconds sooner because Leben wasn’t exactly “intelligently defending himself” – it was just a matter of time before he fell asleep. Rosholt has not supposed to stop the choke.

The ref is responsible to use his judgement as to when a fight is over – he didnt there.

by Stryker on Aug 31, 2009 12:57 PM EDT up reply actions

Agree. The ref missed Leben’s tap. Frankly, that sort of thing is unacceptable when they are dealing with guys going unconscious due to lack of bloodflow to the brain, or there is potential for a limb or joint to be damaged. In the last several PPV’s, there have been at least one fight where the reffing has been less than stellar.

by CL on Aug 31, 2009 1:01 PM EDT up reply actions

after all the comments about rosholts TERRIBLE stand up,i thought he was ok but come on guys leben is crap!!if it wernt for his solid jaw and big left hand he is a Z level fighter at best!he reminds me of one of those eastern european hw boxers.a plodder with zero footwork and telegraphed punches.i cant beleive hes in the ufc,and i dont say that lightly!hes a fighter whos getting worse every fight not better

by scott on Aug 31, 2009 12:51 PM EDT reply actions

ROSHOLT LOOKED DECENT DIDNT TRY TO TAKE TO THE MAT EVERYTIME! STAYED UP ON THE FEET & WAS WORKING LEBEN STANDING UP

by d*locc on Aug 31, 2009 1:14 PM EDT reply actions

Leban sucked!!

by Dave on Aug 31, 2009 1:36 PM EDT reply actions

ya i dunno, i like rosholt but he still hasnt wowed me. yea gettin better but id like to see him manhandle someone who doesnt suck before i deem him a contender to anything.

by JakeAnd on Aug 31, 2009 1:43 PM EDT reply actions

I think Leben, Herman and Jardine should all be dropped from the UFC.I mean the only fighters Jardine has beaten lateley is Lidell and Griffin, but so has everybody else. Herman has always sucked, he just talks a good game.

by mikehunt on Aug 31, 2009 2:24 PM EDT reply actions

I doubt the UFC will drop any of them.

Leben – people love or hate him but they definitely have an opinion. And he lays it all out there. He has to lose at least 1 more, probably 2 imo.

Herman – last performance before this was pretty good. And now he will be on the shelf for probably a year, no need to cut him now.

Jardine – just gave Rampage a good fight. Has at least 1 more loss as well.

by WB on Aug 31, 2009 2:56 PM EDT up reply actions

not a fan of any of them, that said, none are getting cut any time soon. Herman is only one in the running and he showed heart and balls, so it’s not happening!

by kevin on Aug 31, 2009 3:00 PM EDT up reply actions

I guess heart and balls will get you some fights, but eventually you need to win one. Other than his debut, has Herman beat anybody? I say cut him now so he can begin making applications to barber college while his knee heals.

by mikehunt on Aug 31, 2009 3:44 PM EDT reply actions

the arm tiangle was gift wrapped and given to rosholt. he’s really not good at anything but getting his opponents to the ground. can’t wait for him to get ousted from the UFC.

by battery on Aug 31, 2009 3:45 PM EDT reply actions

Talk about bein’ bitter…

by Syd on Aug 31, 2009 9:39 PM EDT up reply actions

I don’t follow mma nearly as closely as most of ya’ll but what is the deal with all the pub about Leben???
What did he ever do?
I must have missed something.

by jt on Aug 31, 2009 4:14 PM EDT reply actions

It was a great fight….but the referee blowed….Mrs Ive Lavin should find another job…..otherwise someone is gonna get hurt for good.

by ThiagO on Aug 31, 2009 4:16 PM EDT reply actions

obviosu difference in body sturcture without the roids!!! Leben lloked and performed like crap! One more loss and i can see him out of the UFC1 But the UFC will probably give hi man easy fight for his next tiem out, to try and get him a victory sicne he is a fan fave!

by manalito on Aug 31, 2009 4:33 PM EDT reply actions

Is that ebonics?

by mikehunt on Aug 31, 2009 5:07 PM EDT up reply actions

However, Rosholt was quick to defend Lavigne from criticism. He said before the fight even began, the veteran referee spoke to both fighters backstage and said a single tap or two doesn’t constitute a tap-out. Instead, Lavigne told them, they had to be clear about their intentions.

Rosholt said he agreed with Lavigne’s thoughts.

“I’d rather go out and have him (a referee) make a mistake … than have him stop it after just one tap or whatever,” he said.

by sudnvictory on Sep 1, 2009 3:26 AM EDT reply actions