Raul Rosas Jr. is knocking on the door of an official UFC ranking spot and hasn’t forgotten what it’s taken to get here.
On Saturday, the 21-year-old bantamweight fights veteran Rob Font on the main card of UFC 326 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Rosas’ story has been well told, from when he became the youngest fighter ever on the UFC roster at 17 after being signed off of Dana White’s Contender Series, to becoming the youngest UFC winner ever at the age of 18. He has suffered just one loss in 12 pro bouts, a decision against Christian Rodriguez, and has bounced back with four straight victories.
Rosas had some advice for the younger generation of fighters when asked to share an encouraging mess at UFC 326 media day on Wednesday.
“As an experience from someone that’s been in this sport since I was four years old, there will be times where you’re going to get tired and you’re going to be, like, ‘Damn, I want to be a normal kid,’” Rosas said. “Just keep pushing. Just sit down and think what you really want. Do you want to live the normal life as a kid or do you want to be great?
“I went through those times a couple of times where I was like, sometimes I just want to be a normal teenager, go to parties, eat chips and stuff. But I was like, no, I want to be great.”
Rosas beat Jay Perrin in his UFC debut in 2022, then fell to 1-1 in the octagon when he was defeated by Rodriguez, a prospect in his own right with a reputation for taking his opponents’ undefeated records. For Rosas, that result was a major turning point.
He scored finishes in his next two fights, then outpointed veterans Vince Morales and Aoriqileng. Were it not for Rodriguez, Rosas isn’t sure how quickly he would have leveled up his focus and preparation.
“Yeah, I think in experience, how to carry my self, maturity,” Rosas said of how different he is now compared to his first UFC fight. “Because like I said, Christian Rodriguez [loss] was what really made me change a lot of things because if you think about it, I was an 18-year-old making a good paycheck with a lot of fame and I just felt on top of the world.”
Font is a significant step up in competition for Rosas, who is yet to fight an opponent ranked higher than the middle of the pack at 135 pounds. Though Font has won just three of his past eight fights, he has shared the cage with numerous champions and title challengers, including Jose Aldo, Deiveson Figueiredo, Cody Garbrandt, Marlon Vera, Marlon Moraes, Cory Sandhagen, and Sergio Pettis.
A win on Saturday would keep Rosas on track in his dream to become the youngest champion in UFC history.
“Fighting somebody experienced like that that’s been through it, I’ll see where my level is,” Rosas said. “I know it’s a test for myself and I’m ready to pass it with flying colors and I’m excited because these guys weren’t able to get Rob Font out of there, so I’m excited to go in there and try to figure it out and try to get him out of there.”
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