Johnson defeats Rosholt at light heavyweight in main event of XFL Xtreme Fight Night 9

With all the cancellations of the last month it is a relief to see newer promotions gaining ground such as XFL’s September 21st show where Anthony Johnson defeated fellow UFC vet Jake Rosholt.  XFL took place at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma with a live webcast on the promotion’s website xflfights.com.

Both Johnson and Rosholt are relatively new to light heavyweight with this fight being Johnson’s third and Rosholt’s second at this weight (both were middleweight in the UFC).  Round 1 this factor showed in a close round with little scoring as both fighters sought an advantage.  In the second Johnson found his range and switched gears as he unloaded on Rosholt.  Following an inadvertent eyepoke Johnson seemed to stun Rosholt with a solid right, a blow from which Rosholt didn’t seem to fully recover as Johnson swarmed for the second-round TKO.  Johnson’s exit from the UFC was due to missing weight so badly against Vitor Belfort but now that he has three wins in a row at light heavyweight it looks like he may be give a second chance.  Rosholt meanwhile is 12-5-1 overall, 0-2 at light heavyweight with two losses in a row.

XFL Xtreme Fight Night 9 results:

Garrett Smith def. Austin Wells 1:53 R1 by TKO
Chase McDougal def. Jake Shanks 0:51 R1 by submission
David Grayson def. Christian Adams 1:33 R1 by submission
T.J. Arrington def. John Martinez by unanimous decision
Edward Cline def. Alex Rojas 2:05 R1 by TKO
Katrina Catron def. Amber Powell 1:41 R1 by guillotine choke
Jesse Chaffin def. David McAfee 0:33 R3 by guillotine choke
Dylan Smith def. Levi Avera 1:40 R2 by rear-naked choke
Anthony Johnson def. Jake Rosholt 4:22 R2 by TKO
Andrew Todhunter def. Brandon Gaines 2:10 R2 by rear-naked choke