The teenage prospect is back!
The youngest fighter in the UFC is set for his second Octagon appearance.
Marcel Dorff of Eurosport Nederland reports that Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Christian Rodriguez is confirmed for UFC 287 on April 8 at a soon-to-be-announced location and venue.
Rosas Jr. joined the UFC following a successful appearance on Contender Series this past September. ‘El Niño Problema’ needed a special license from the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) for his fight against Mando Gutierrez, who he dominated from pillar to post en route to a unanimous decision.
Nearly three months after his CS appearance, Rosas Jr. debuted against Jay Perrin at UFC 282 in December. The 18-year-old forced the ‘Joker’ to tap with a neck crank in less than three minutes, which earned him a ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus. He improved to 7-0 as a professional.
A fellow CS veteran, Rodriguez suffered his first loss against Jonathan Pearce at UFC Vegas 48 in February. ‘Ceerod’ would return to the win column with a first-round submission over Joshua Weems in his next UFC fight, bringing his record to 1-1 in the promotion.
UFC 287 has six fights confirmed, with Rob Font vs. Adrian Yanez, Michelle Waterson-Gomez vs. Luana Pinheiro and Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Nikolas Motta among its highlights.
Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for more updates to the upcoming pay-per-view event as they become available in the coming months.
About the author: Kristen King is a writer for Bloody Elbow. She has covered combat sports since 2016. (full bio)