Rosholt was born and raised in Sandpoint, Idaho, attending Sandpoint High School before moving to Oklahoma his junior year where he attended Ponca City High School. Rosholt competed in wrestling as well as football. In wrestling, Rosholt was a member of Wrestling USA Magazine's 2005 All-America Dream Team, a four-time State Champion, and a two-time national runner-up. Rosholt continued wrestling at Oklahoma State University, following in the footsteps of his older brother, Jake, a three-time National Champion for the Cowboys. Jared Rosholt went on to be a three-time All-American and finished his collegiate career with an overall record of 125-27. That record qualified him as the winningest heavyweight in the history of the Oklahoma State wrestling program. His 125 wins also qualify as the fifth-most victories by a wrestler in any weight class in Oklahoma State history.[3] Rosholt finished fourth in his division at the 2008 NCAA wrestling championships,[4] third in 2009,[5] and second in 2010.[6] Rosholt's combination of size and speed had many wondering if he would follow the lead of his older brother Jake into MMA competition.[7]
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Rosholt made his professional mixed martial arts debut on February 26, 2011, where he won by submission (punches) in just 1:17 of the first round.[8]
Titan Fighting
Rosholt came to fight on two days notice as a replacement to fight at Titan FC 18: Pulver vs. Davidson against Kirk Grinlinton.[9] He won the fight by technical knockout at just 1:37 of the first round.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Rosholt announced in mid-September that he has signed with the UFC. He made his debut against fellow newcomer Walt Harris on November 30, 2013, at The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale.[10] After being dropped in the first round, Rosholt rallied back in the second and third rounds, winning the fight via unanimous decision.
Rosholt was expected to face promotional newcomer Alexey Oleynik on January 25, 2014, at UFC on Fox 10.[11] However, Oliynyk was forced out of the bout with an injury and Rosholt was pulled from the card altogether.[12]
The rescheduled bout with Alexey Oleynik took place on November 22, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 57.[17] Rosholt lost the fight via knockout in the first round.
Rosholt faced Josh Copeland on March 14, 2015, at UFC 185.[18] He won the fight via TKO in the third round.
Rosholt faced Roy Nelson on February 6, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 82.[23] He lost the fight via unanimous decision and was subsequently released from the promotion.[24][25]
Professional Fighters League
In his first bout after the UFC, Rosholt began with a loss against Caio Alencar, suffering a knockout via punches in the first round at WSOF 34 on December 31, 2016. After this, he rebounded against Nick Rossborough on July 29, 2017, with a unanimous decision victory at Professional Fighters League 2: Everett. In the following year, on June 7, he scored another win over Valdrin Istrefi with a unanimous decision at PFL 1. However, his winning streak ended on July 19, when he was defeated by Kelvin Tiller via a guillotine choke at PFL 4. He made a comeback and defeated the same opponent, Kelvin Tiller, with a unanimous decision in a 2018 PFL Heavyweight Quarterfinal bout. Yet, his journey saw another defeat, this time by Philipe Lins, who won via TKO stoppage at PFL 8 on October 5, 2018.
The year 2019 started with a loss to Denis Goltsov on June 6 in PFL 3, where he lost via TKO stoppage in the first round. However, he bounced back with a win against Satoshi Ishii on August 8 in PFL 6, which was decided unanimously. The winning streak continued as he defeated Muhammed Dereese with a TKO (punches) in a 2019 PFL Heavyweight Quarterfinal bout. He also emerged victorious against Kelvin Tiller, who replaced the injured Francimar Barroso, with a unanimous decision in a 2019 PFL Heavyweight Semifinal bout on October 31, 2019, at PFL 9. However, the year ended with a loss to Ali Isaev via fourth round TKO stoppage in the 2019 PFL Heavyweight Final on December 31, 2019, at PFL 10.
Personal life
In addition to his brother Jake, Rosholt has three other siblings; a sister and two brothers who also competed in wrestling at Oklahoma State University.[26]