Teen fighter to make UFC debut as a high schooler

1 year ago 67

At conscionable 18 years old, Raul Rosas Jr is acceptable to marque UFC past again.

Earlier this year, the bantamweight became the youngest UFC signing astatine 17 – eclipsing erstwhile grounds holder Dan Lauzon who was 18.

When Rosas Jr faces Jay Perrin connected December 11 astatine UFC 282, he'll go the youngest combatant to vie connected a main card.

The precocious schooler has precocious hopes, and plentifulness of time, to go the youngest champion too.

Jon Jones defeated Mauricio Rua for the light-heavyweight rubric astatine 23 years aged successful UFC 128 much than a decennary ago.

"Not successful 5 years – I'm going to beryllium champion erstwhile I'm 20 oregon 21 astatine the latest," Rosas Jr told BBC Sport.

"I'm trying to situation myself and spot however accelerated I tin bash it, due to the fact that I judge if I was to combat the champion tomorrow, I would decorativeness him.

"When I get successful the cage I consciousness free. Everything goes away.

"I'm having amusive with it and I'm excited to marque my UFC debut and spell retired determination and enactment connected a show."

Rosas Jr was signed to the UFC aft appearing successful contention president Dana White's Contender Series.

The series, which is not portion of the UFC, acts arsenic a level for fighters to beryllium signed to the apical of MMA.

Despite his age, it's been a agelong clip coming for Rosa Jr who knew astatine a young property that helium wanted to beryllium a fighter.

Hailing from New Mexico, helium and his household moved to California to prosecute further grooming – past conscionable 12 years old.

"Everything was truthful expensive, truthful maine and my household had 12 radical surviving successful 1 tiny flat astatine 1 point," Rosas Jr said.

"Then we started progressing a small spot much and got an flat with much room, and past 2 rooms, and past more.

"When I was successful New Mexico, we would thrust an hr and a fractional to grooming and connected the mode backmost I would slumber successful the car," helium said.

"I was hardly location truthful I had to bash it somewhere. In California, I would benignant of bash my homework successful class, oregon the adjacent time successful the morning."

Jan Błachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev header UFC 282, which features a co-main combat betwixt Paddy Pimblett and Jared Gordon.

For a regular dose of the champion of the breaking quality and exclusive contented from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!