Three-time NCAA wrestling champion Jake Rosholt secured the biggest win of his brief mixed martial arts career Saturday night, choking out Chris Leben at UFC 102.
It was a close, back-and-forth fight that featured solid striking and a hard-fought ground battle, and it ended in the third round when Rosholt clamped on a head-and-arm choke and put Leben, the former Ultimate Fighter bad boy who was getting back into the Octagon for the first time in 2009 after serving a steroid suspension, to sleep.
"Finally a good fight inside the Octagon," said Rosholt, who entered the fight with a 5-1 MMA record but had lost his only previous UFC fight.
It will be exciting to see what Rosholt does next. He's one of the best pure wrestlers in all of mixed martial arts, and he looked against Leben like he has made real progress in his striking and his submissions. Rosholt could be a future star for the UFC.
Leben, whose record falls to 18-7, is no star, but he's a respectable fighter, and he's got plenty of good fights ahead of him in the Octagon. Tonight, however, Rosholt came out on top.
For full UFC 102 coverage, also check our UFC Twitter updates and full UFC 102 results.
It was a close, back-and-forth fight that featured solid striking and a hard-fought ground battle, and it ended in the third round when Rosholt clamped on a head-and-arm choke and put Leben, the former Ultimate Fighter bad boy who was getting back into the Octagon for the first time in 2009 after serving a steroid suspension, to sleep.
"Finally a good fight inside the Octagon," said Rosholt, who entered the fight with a 5-1 MMA record but had lost his only previous UFC fight.
It will be exciting to see what Rosholt does next. He's one of the best pure wrestlers in all of mixed martial arts, and he looked against Leben like he has made real progress in his striking and his submissions. Rosholt could be a future star for the UFC.
Leben, whose record falls to 18-7, is no star, but he's a respectable fighter, and he's got plenty of good fights ahead of him in the Octagon. Tonight, however, Rosholt came out on top.
For full UFC 102 coverage, also check our UFC Twitter updates and full UFC 102 results.
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Instant Classic Ends UFC 102
PORTLAND, OR - AUGUST 29: UFC fighter Antonio Nogueira (L) battles UFC fighter Randy Couture (R) during their Heavyweight bout at UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira at the Rose Garden Arena on August 29, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Antonio Nogueira;Randy Couture
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