The 25-year-old lightweight has been released by the promotion as confirmed by sources close to the situation when speaking to MMA Fighting.
The former N.C. State wrestler made waves on the regional fight scene while building an impressive 4-0 record with all of his wins coming by way of submission. Training under famed grappling champion Robert Drysdale, it appeared Rohskopf was destined for an eventual shot in the octagon.
That opportunity came in a short notice fight against Austin Hubbard at UFC on ESPN 11 in Las Vegas.
Despite a strong start from Rohskopf, his conditioning started to fade as time ticked away on the clock and he began absorbing a lot of punishment from Hubbard in the second round.
As he sat down on his stool between rounds, Rohskopf told his head coach that he was done.
Drysdale did his best to convince Rohskopf that he had enough left in the tank to go back out for the third and final round but the fight was eventually waved off. Following the controversial ending, Rohskopf explained to MMA Fighting the self-sabotage that ultimately led to the end of the fight.
“I’ve done this my whole life,” Rohskopf explained. “I’ve self-boycotted myself. Even when I was wrestling in high school, I was the best in the state and ended up getting third because I self-boycotted myself. I was one of the best guys in the country in college, was never an All-American when it counted, because I was telling myself that, for whatever reason, I don’t deserve it.
“That’s exactly what I did in my fight with Austin. Sh*t got hard, and I looked at my coach and said, ‘I don’t want to be here anymore.’ Not because I didn’t want to be there, but because I didn’t think I deserved to be there.”
For now, Rohskopf will have to continue his career outside the UFC but it’s been well documented in the past that young prospects can earn another shot over time with a few more wins on the regional circuit.
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