'Hard work is starting to pay off' for Feist

SANDPOINT — Sandpoint native Chris Feist ran his Mixed Martial Arts professional record to 3-0 on Saturday, scoring a unanimous decision win over over Sean Ward as part of the Xtreme Knockout 14 fight card in Arlington, Texas.

Feist, a state champion wrestler at Sandpoint before wrestling in college, used a superior ground game to dispatch his opponent and earn a 30-27 score on all three judges’ cards.

“I had two nice takedowns and beat him from the headlock. He landed a kick or two, but I pretty much controlled the fight,” described Feist of the action. “I tried to finish the fight, but he was a pretty tough kid.”

Feist is thrilled to officially be a member of Team Takedown Fighters, joining Jake and Jared Rosholt, Johny Hendricks and Shane Roller on the wrestling based MMA team from Texas.

Feist trained with the group for a couple years before joining the ranks recently.

“It feel awesome, the hard work is starting to pay off,” he said. “I’m excited to keep getting fights and see where I can take it. It’s (the win) just a small step to where I can end up.”

Fellow Top Dog, Sandpoint High School and now Team Takedown teammate Jake Rosholt (12-3) will face Matt Thompson (16-9) on March 17. Rosholt is hoping to land a second stint in the UFC.

Jared Rosholt, who won one state title for Sandpoint before moving to Oklahoma, is now 4-0 and one of the up and coming heavyweights in the sport.

Feist, 6-0 and 175 pounds, plans to fight again in mid-March, and hopefully a couple more after that. His ultimate goal is to get picked up by one of the bigger promotions, where he can test his skills against some of the best in the sport.

“I just need to do my part, and hopefully end up right there with the likes of the top guys,” said Feist of how high he’d like to climb. “Right now it’s one fight at a time, and keep getting better.”