Former Bulldog wrestler Jared Rosholt fights for $1 million

LAS VEGAS — Former Bulldog wrestler and Sandpoint native Jared Rosholt will compete in the quarterfinals of the Professional Fighters League playoffs 5 p.m. Thursday in Las Vegas.

Rosholt’s match can be seen live on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

The 33-year-old comes into the fight as the No. 7 seed and will face No. 2 seed Muhammed Deresse with a spot in the semifinals on the line.

If Rosholt wins, he will fight No. 3 seed Alex Nicholson or No. 6 seed Francimar Barroso that same night. With a victory in that fight, he would advance to the PFL heavyweight championship bout in New York City on New Year’s Eve where a $1 million prize will be up for grabs.

Rosholt has compiled a 18-7 overall record over his MMA career and is 1-1 in the PFL this season. He wrestled for the Bulldogs his freshman and sophomore year of high school before moving to Oklahoma his junior year.

Rosholt then followed in his older brother’s footsteps and attended Oklahoma State University where he was a three-time All-American wrestler and became the winningest heavyweight in school history with a 125-27 record. His brother, Jake Rosholt, was a three-time national champion at OSU.

Rosholt then made his MMA debut on Feb. 26, 2011 and his been fighting ever since.

“I guess I liked it enough to keep on doing it,” Rosholt said while his describing his MMA career.

Despite living in Burleson, Texas and being away from Sandpoint for so long, north Idaho still holds a special place in Rosholt’s heart.

Rosholt said a lot of what he knows today stemmed from his time in Sandpoint and wrestling on the Bulldogs high school team.

“I tell people all the time like what a small town it was, how small a program it was, but how effective it was for us kids that were in it because a lot of us went on to wrestle in college and had a lot of success as well,” he said.

Rosholt has been fighting in the PFL since its inaugural season in 2018 and a year prior to that when it was formerly known as the World Series of Fighting.

Last year, Rosholt fought in the PFL playoffs under the same format where he was forced to battle two opponents in one night. He won his quarterfinal bout with No. 2 seed Kelvin Tiller before falling to No. 3 seed Philipe Lins in the semis by a TKO in the second round. Lins would go on to win the title.

Deresse, Rosholt’s quarterfinal opponent, boasts an 8-1 career MMA record.

Rosholt said he is focused on beating his first opponent and not looking ahead to who he could potentially face in his second match of the night.

Rosholt said he’s glad he dealt with the same scenario of having to fight twice in one night last year so he knows what to expect this time because its something no one is used to.

“Its a different feeling,” he said.

When Rosholt isn’t in the decagon, he works full-time as an elevator mechanic apprentice. He gets up at 4 a.m. every day, works from 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and then trains at the gym. He typically doesn’t get home until about 8:30 p.m. which leaves just enough time for him to eat, shower and go to bed before starting the routine over again.

Rosholt said winning the PFL title and $1 million would help make all the sacrifices he and his family have made over the years worth it.

“These guys seem to be getting younger as they come in and I’m getting older so its not getting any easier,” he said. “I’m getting toward the end of my career so if I could win this tournament here, I could go out on my terms.”

Rosholt appreciates all the support he has received from the Sandpoint community throughout his career and he said he intends on returning to his hometown soon.

“Once I get done with my fighting career here and get through this apprenticeship, I’m definitely going to be looking to move back up there,” he said. “I’d like to call it a home someday again.”