Photo Credit: Esther Lin of MMA FIghting
No, you aren't reading that headline incorrectly. Anthony Johnson, who just had his fight confirmed with Esteves Jones for Titan Fighting Championships earlier this week, has another fight booked for September. The former UFC welterweight will take on former WEC and UFC middleweight Jake Rosholt in Tulsa, Oklahoma. MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani broke the story:
Just days after it was announced that the former UFC welterweight would make his light heavyweight debut at Titan 24 on Aug. 24 versus Esteves Jones, Xtreme Fight Night, an Oklahoma-based promotion, announced on Friday that "Rumble" would meet Jake Rosholt at XFN 8 on Sept. 21 in Tulsa, OK.
The promotion is actually called Xtreme Fighting League, and the Fight Night name is just a branch of what they offer. Their most prominent card in recent times was XFN 2, headlined by Gerald Harris against James Head, and it was the fight that saw Head get into the UFC with his decision win. It's a fairly small promotion as you can imagine, and the other offerings at Tulsa's Hard Rock Hotel and Casino beyond this upcoming card include Engelbert Humperdinck, Jackson Browne, Jeff Foxworthy, and Hall and Oates.
This fight will be contested at 205, and it's certainly one of the more intriguing fights on the regional circuit. Rosholt was a decorated collegiate wrestler at Oklahoma State, winning 3 NCAA championships and earning the All-American honor 4 times. His elite wrestling skills automatically made him one of the better blue-chip prospects in MMA. Sadly, it was clear Rosholt was out of his depth as a striker and grappler, and his 1-2 UFC record wasn't enough to keep him around. Rosholt has since gone 6-2 (1 NC), including his LHW debut in June, a submission loss to Matt Thompson. He has fought under the XFL banner before, going 1-1 with a win over Rudy Lindsey and a TKO loss to Matt Horwich.
As for Johnson, it's not too often you hear of fighters with two fights booked in advance, but this is the case for him. It's quite possible Johnson's camp sees Esteves Jones as merely a tune-up (considering Jones fought as a super-heavyweight, it's easy to think that) and Rumble is just using the Jones fight to prepare for a decent name fighter in Rosholt.
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