Jared Rosholt’s big day? Birth of second child, then UFC contract for TUF 18 Finale

Jared Rosholt recently had quite the day. It went from terror to joy to worry to a much-needed feeling of relief. That’s what happens when you experience the birth of your second child and a UFC contract offer all in the same day.

Rosholt (8-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is now the proud parent of two kids. He’s also booked to fight fellow promotional newcomer Walt Harris (4-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) tonight at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Events Center. It’s one of nine bouts from The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale that air on FOX Sports 1 (8 p.m. ET).

Rosholt accepted the fight back in September, just hours after he and his wife welcomed the latest addition to their family.

“It was just a huge day for me,” Rosholt told MMAjunkie Radio. “I had the birth of my child, and then that evening I got the call (from the UFC). It was just like, ‘Man, how does it get any better than this?’”

The timing couldn’t have been better for Rosholt, who turned to MMA after a successful NCAA Division I wrestling career at Oklahoma State, where he was a three-time All-American and posted a school record 125 wins as a heavyweight. Although he was soon competing for MMA organizations such as C3 Fights and Legacy FC, Rosholt knew he needed a big break to survive financially.

“You have a second child, and you know it’s going to get more expensive,” he said. “You want to make sure you can provide and everything. And then you get a call up the big leagues, the UFC. You’re like, ‘Well, things are starting to come together.’

“All that hard work and everything paid off. It was like a big weight has been lifted off my shoulders.”

Rosholt, whose older brother Jared recently retired after a career with the UFC and WEC, has been around the organization enough to know what a big deal it is. He said everything from his media interviews to his airport arrival assured the UFC is the most buttoned-up and professional organization in the sport.

He knows that entering the octagon for the first time is a monumental moment for any fighter, but no amount of mental preparation can prepare him for tonight’s debut. After all, he said, if Daniel Cormier – a fellow wrestler who competed in the Olympics – says he experienced octagon jitters in his first UFC fight, Rosholt knows he’s likely to feel them too.

“I believe they will be (there), but I’m prepared for that,” he said. “I haven’t felt any nerves since I got here. Everything’s gone as good as it can here. But I’m prepared for nerves.

“Cormier had them. If he’s having nerves and stuff after the competing at the Olympic level, I’m pretty sure I’m going to have some.”

As for his opponent, Rosholt is facing a fellow D-1 athlete. The word Rosholt kept using for Harris, a former basketball player, is “smooth.” After wrestling a lot of unconventional and “herky-jerky” heavyweights in college, Rosholt said his own athletic prowess is usually on display when he gets to meet a fellow athlete.

In Harris, he said that’ll be the case, which should make for a good fight, he said.

“He’s a big guy,” Rosholt said. “He’s tall. He’s athletic. He’s smooth. Good punching, good boxing. good head kicks. He’s an athlete. … He’s a Division 1 athlete, so you have to expect he’s going to move pretty good. I’m excited about it. I’d rather fighter someone who’s athletic than nonathletic.”

For more on the TUF 18 Finale, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.