WEC 36: Jake Rosholt Tops Nissen Osterneck In Second-Round TKO

Three-time NCAA champion wrestler Jake Rosholt made his World Extreme Cagefighting debut tonight, beating Nissen Osterneck with a second-round TKO at WEC 36.

Osterneck came forward with a combination in the first 10 seconds of the first round, and he appeared to have Rosholt momentarily stunned. But Rosholt responded with a terrific takedown, and from there it was a fast-paced, back-and-forth first round.

The second round was slower at first, as both fighters appeared to be fatigued on the ground. But when they went to their feet momentarily, there was a flurry of action, with Osterneck appearing close to knocking Rosholt out with a series of strikes, only to have Rosholt take him down and ground-and-pound him until the referee had no choice but to stop the fight 3:48 into the second round.

"Nissen came out, got after me, just kind of kicked my ass for a while," Rosholt said in the cage afterward. "Luckily I was tough enough to stay in there and finish the fight, but hats off to him."

The 26-year-old Rosholt improved his pro MMA record to 5-0, and he looks like one of the real up-and-comers in the middleweight class. Osterneck fell to 5-1, but he has nothing to be ashamed of. Both fighters put on an excellent show, and as the WEC folds its middleweight class into the UFC, I look forward to seeing both of them in the Octagon.