A sergeant in the Minnesota National Guard, Johnson fell to 9-2 as a pro fighter (1-1 UFC) when his furious third-round rally fell short against Jared Rosholt (13-2), who earned a unanimous decision by controlling the heavyweight fight's early pace.

Johnson had stopped each of his opponents early during his eight-fight win streak leading up to Saturday's clash, but Rosholt, a former Oklahoma State All-American wrestler, pinned Johnson against the cage for much of the first two rounds, eliminating Johnson's reach advantage and earning points with the judges.

Rosholt took down Johnson with about 90 seconds to go in the first round, smothering him on the mat until the bell. In the second round, Johnson appeared to have Rosholt down after a shove, but the OSU alum scrambled into another dominant position, leaving Johnson bloody entering the fight's final five minutes.

Minnesota National Guard Sgt. Tim Johnson, right, reacts as Jared Rosholt has his hand raised after their three-round UFC fight Saturday in Nashville, Tenn.

Photo Credit: Joshua Lindsey/USA Today Sports

After a few minutes grappling against the cage, Johnson began to break free with regularity. With Rosholt appearing to tire, the Guardsman fired some of the fight's hardest shots, wobbling his opponent in the final 30 seconds before scoring a driving takedown with 15 seconds to fight.

But Rosholt's skill in ground-game defense prevented Johnson from landing any punishing strikes or grabbing a submission hold as the clock ran out. All three judges gave the fight to Rosholt 29-28.

Despite the loss, and a black eye to show for it, he was back to work Monday morning:

Kevin Lilley is the features editor of Military Times.

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