Don’t bite off more than you can chew, advises the OSU wrestling alum and former UFC middleweight Jake Rosholt.

You were one of the best wrestlers to come out of Oklahoma State University. How was that experience?

Jake: “Oklahoma State has a long and storied tradition of wrestlers; I wouldn’t say that I’m a huge standout by any means. I obviously had a very successful career, but there’s been a lot of great wrestlers to come out of OSU and we keep on bringing out great wrestlers. We’ve got guys who wrestled at OSU on the Olympic team this year. Is my name recognized around there? Of course, but there are many other great wrestlers who have come out of Oklahoma State as well.”

What was your time like there?

“It was incredible. Obviously I can look back and wish it went a little better. I would’ve loved to have been a four-time NCAA champion or gone unbeaten, but considering I came out of there a three-time NCAA champion and I was part of a team that won four straight NCAA titles – which is pretty much unheard of – and I left there with a degree, I would say I had a pretty successful time in college.”

You followed the path of many strong wrestlers and began training in MMA. What made you want to make the transition?

“I honestly just kind of fell into it. I never really had any intention of becoming an MMA fighter. I never even watched it very much. People would kind of talk to me about it, I got kind of interested in it, tried some training and got into it after that. I liked the training, the challenges that were put in front of me and that’s where it all started.”

You’ve wrestled for many years in front of thousands of people. Were you still nervous for your first fight?

“It was a blur, I was nervous as hell (laughs). I don’t know how many punches I threw in that first fight, but there were a lot of them. I was going wild.”

You go to the UFC and go 1-2, but you were released. Do you think they cut you too soon?

“I think that I did deserve more of a chance than I got, but I also see their side of it as well so there are no hard feelings. The fact is, one day I will fight in the UFC again. Also, I was so young in my career, I truly wasn’t ready for it skill-wise. I didn’t really have the experience that I needed for it. However, being in the UFC so early on in my career, really did help me as far as experience goes and learning a lot about the fight game.”

Why did you make the decision to move up to light heavyweight?

“It’s really difficult for me to make 185lb. I’m not old, but I’m not incredibly young either. I quit wrestling at 184lb when I was 22, and then I moved up to 197lb because it was so hard on me then. I thought I could get down to 185lb and perform, but I just couldn’t do things the way I wanted to at that weight. It was just taking too much of a toll on my body to get to that weight.

What is it like watching your brother now fight and have success in MMA?

“It’s awesome. His career is just starting and he’s got a huge future ahead of him. He’s got a lot of talent and I really think he’s going to be a force in the heavyweight division. I do get really nervous when he’s out there fighting. My nerves are way worse when he’s fighting than when I’m out there.”

What advice would you give to any upcoming fighters out there?

“I think the key is to have fun, believe in yourself and don’t rest. There’s a lot of time to learn, get better and move yourself up the rankings in the proper way. You don’t need to jump ahead of where you should be. Just take your time and enjoy it.”

Postscript: jake last fought in 2012 and has a 12-5 MMA record. His younger brother Jared is still going strong, fighting and winning in the PFL with a 20-7 MMA record.