Raul Rosas Jr. to Fight During Noche UFC, UFC’s Mexican Independence Day Show in Las Vegas

Posted on August 19, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Raul Rosas Jr. will be heading to the Octagon next month.

The 18-year-old Mexican American mixed martial artist, who was the youngest fighter signed to the UFC last year at 17 years old, will attempt to get back on track at the UFC‘s Mexican Independence Day show.

Rosas Jr., a bantamweight, will face Terrence Mitchell at Noche UFC on September 16 in Las Vegas, according to ESPN.

ESPN Deportes‘ Carlos Contreras Legaspi first reported the bout set for Noche UFC, which is a larger-sized UFC Fight Night card in celebration of the Mexican holiday at T-Mobile Arena.

Rosas Jr. (7-1) earned his way into the promotion from Dana White‘s Contender Series. Rosas Jr. won his UFC debut at UFC 282 in December but then fell to Christian Rodriguez via unanimous decision at UFC 287 in April.

Mitchell (14-3), a 33-year-old from Alaska who competed on “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2016, lost in his UFC debut to Cameron Saaiman by first-round TKO at UFC 290 last month.

Christian Rodriguez Defeats Raul Rosas Jr. by Unanimous Decision at UFC 287

Posted on April 9, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Christian Rodriguez has taken down a hot prospect…

The 25-year-old Latino MMA fighter, nicknamed “CeeRod,” came back from losing the first round to win a unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) over the previously undefeated Raul Rosas Jr. to open the UFC 287 main card on Saturday at Kaseya Center.

Rosas has been one of the best and most hyped prospects on the UFC roster at only 18 years old. He was the youngest fighter ever signed to the UFC last year at 17. He has also developed quite the fan following, getting a big pop for his walkout Saturday night.

“I just stopped a hype train,” Rodriguez said in his postfight interview. “I hope you guys can follow my journey.”

Rosas looked good early. He’s a ground specialist, and it’s never a secret that he’s going to try to take the fight to the canvas. He did so repeatedly in the first round and nearly snared a rear-naked choke while on Rodriguez’s back on several occasions. But Rodriguez survived some very disadvantageous situations.

Rosas was clearly exhausted going into the second round, and Rodriguez took over. He was able to out-scramble Rosas on the ground in the second and third rounds, stay on top and land some ground and pound.

“I respect his skillset,” Rodriguez said of Rosas, adding, “That kid brings it.”

Rodriguez (9-1) has won two straight now after dropping his UFC debut to Jonathan Pearce in January 2022.

The 25-year-old Milwaukee native, who trains out of Roufusport, is a veteran of Dana White‘s Contender Series.

Rosas (7-1), who lives and trains in Las Vegas, won his UFC debut at UFC 282 back in December, a first-round submission win.

Raul Rosas Jr. to Fight Christian Rodriguez at UFC 287

Posted on January 20, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Raul Rosas Jr. has scheduled his return to the Octagon…

The 18-year-old Mexican American mixed martial arts prodigy, who became the youngest fighter to ever sign with the UFC, will return to the Octagon on April 8 to fight fellow prospect Christian Rodriguez at UFC 287, according to ESPN.

Former UFC champion Anthony Pettis, who represents Rodriguez under the Showtime Group agency, also posted about the fight on Instagram. A location has yet to be determined, and no main event has been set yet for the pay-per-view card.

Rosas (7-0) was 17 when he signed with the UFC last September. Living and training in Las Vegas, he beat Mando Gutierrez on Dana White‘s Contender Series to earn a UFC contract. Rosas then beat Jay Perrin in his debut with the promotion via first-round submission at UFC 282 in December.

Rodriguez (8-1) is coming off a first-round submission win over Joshua Weems in October. The Milwaukee native is 1-1 in the UFC. Rodriguez, 25, trains out of Roufusport in his hometown and owns wins in CFFC, LFA and on Contender Series.

Raul Rosas Jr. Becomes First 18-Year-Old to Win in the UFC

Posted on December 11, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Raul Rosas Jr. has a first UFC win under his belt…

The Mexican mixed martial artist, who turned 18 years old just two months ago, became the youngest fighter ever to compete in the UFC on Saturday night, and his performance was dominant in a first-round submission of veteran bantamweight Jay Perrin during the prelims of UFC 282 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Rosas, who was born in Mexico and raised in New Mexico and California, was signed off of Dana White‘s Contender Series when he was still 17.

He now is 18 years and 63 days old, younger than the only other 18-year-olds to compete in the Octagon, Sean Daugherty and Dan Lauzon.

But Rosas is the first 18-year-old to win in the UFC. And he made it look easy.

Rosas, whose specialty is grappling, took the fight to the canvas within the first minute and immediately seized control, which he maintained before eliciting the tapout from Perrin via rear-naked choke at 2:44 of Round 1.

Rosas spoke afterward about the next historical accomplishment in his sights.

“Man, this is crazy, but I knew I was going to be here at this age,” he said. “So right now I’m just living the dream. I had no nerves, no pressure, felt free. I’m doing what I love to do. And right now, tonight, I just came to introduce myself, because I’m coming for that belt.”

Raul Rosas, Jr. to Become Youngest Fighter to Compete in UFC with Debut Fight Against Jay Perrin

Posted on October 27, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Raul Rosas, Jr. is set to earn his place in UFC history…

The 18-year-old Mexican mixed martial artist, known as “El Niño Problema,” will become the youngest fighter to compete in the UFC when he makes his debut against Jay Perrin (10-6) at UFC 282 on December 10 in Las Vegas.

Rosas’ representative agency, Iridium Sports, announced the news on social media.

Last month, Rosas became the youngest fighter to win a contract on Dana White‘s Contender Series when he defeated Mando Gutierrez (7-1) via unanimous decision. Rosas was just 17 at the time of that fight. He celebrated his 18th birthday on October 8.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said White, the UFC president, as he signed Rosas. “The amount of fighters blowing me up saying, ‘You’re crazy not to [sign him].’ … He’s special.”

According to UFC Stats and Info, Dan Lauzon currently holds the record as the youngest fighter to ever compete in the Octagon (18 years, 198 days). He made his UFC debut in January 2010. Rosas will comfortably beat that mark, as long as the fight stays together on December 10.

Rosas was born in Mexico and now fights out of California. Perrin, 29, is 0-2 since signing with the UFC earlier this year. He has fought professionally since 2014.

Raul Rosas Jr. Becomes Youngest MMA Fighter to Sign with UFC

Posted on September 21, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Raul Rosas Jr. has earned his place in UFC history…

The 17-year-old Mexican mixed martial artist has become the youngest fighter to sign with the UFC.

Rosas signed with UFC Tuesday night, following a unanimous decision win over Mando Gutierrez on Dana White‘s Contender Series.

White, impressed by Rosas’ performance, offered the teen a contract before the end of the show, which he accepted. Rosas is the youngest fighter to compete on the series.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” White said of Rosas’ age and outing against Gutierrez. “Not only that, the amount of fighters blowing me up saying you’re crazy not to (sign him). … He’s absolutely, positively talented. He’s special, he’s different.”

Rosas, a bantamweight fighter, dominated the 25-year-old Gutierrez for most of the fight with his grappling prowess. He nearly finished Gutierrez in the first round with a rarely used Suloev stretch submission from back control. Gutierrez had moments, taking Rosas down and landing some ground-and-pound. But almost always, Rosas would end up in the better position, using his dexterity, skill and creativity on the ground to scramble his way to the top.

Rosas (6-0) had finished all of his previous opponents before Tuesday night. The Mexican-born fighter, who trains out of Las Vegas, previously fought in the UWC promotion in Tijuana.

Dan Lauzon holds the record as the youngest fighter to compete in the UFC (18 years, 198 days), per ESPN Stats & Information research. As long as Rosas steps into the Octagon within the next 216 days — a likely scenario — he will beat that mark.

And Rosas is already talking about winning championships. The youngest UFC champion was Jon Jones at age 23 in 2011.

“Everybody shouldn’t be surprised,” Rosas said. “I’m the new king in here, so I’m coming for that belt now. … I’m gonna be champion when I’m 20. Respect to everybody, but I’m gonna be champion when I’m 20, or even earlier. Nobody is gonna stop me.”

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