Not only does Rosas Jr. plan to become the youngest UFC champion, he plans to win belts across three weight divisions.
Raul Rosas Jr. already has the distinction of being the youngest UFC fighter to ever step into the Octagon. He was just 18 years and 63 days old when he won his promotional debut at UFC 282 via first round submission. And if he has his way, he’ll make more history over the years by becoming the youngest UFC champion ever and the first three-division UFC champion.
Rosas Jr. made that bold claim at FuryFC 73, where his (other) brother Kevin Rosas lost to Nicholas Whitehead in his professional debut. That defeat didn’t put a damper on Raul’s mood. He serenaded the San Antonio, Texas crowd with a series of Ric Flair woos before making big claims about his future.
“I’m ready to go out there and show my skillset like I’ve always done. I don’t care who I face, I’m here to show that there are levels. Tune in April 8th, I’m going to show my skillset and show that I deserve to fight for a title.”
“El Nino Problema” is set to face 8-1 (1-1 UFC) fighter Christian Rodriguez at UFC 287 in a fight that Dana White announced alongside Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya 2 and Gilbert Burns vs. Jorge Masvidal. That goes to show you how much the UFC believes in their young prospect. But it’s still nothing compared to how much he believes in himself.
“Just believe in yourself, no matter who doubts you,” he continued on the house mic in the cage. “Right now, me saying I’m going to be champion, a lot of people think I’m crazy that I’m going to become the youngest UFC champion, but I believe in myself and mark my words: I will be champion in one year or less.”
THREE weight classes?!?!? Raul Rosas Jr has spoken!#FuryFC73 pic.twitter.com/I4cptEWNdi
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) January 29, 2023
“I’m just getting started, like this is nothing to me. I ain’t celebrating nothing until I have them three belts around my waist: 135, 145, 155, let’s go! Woo!”
A lot of cage fighters cultivate an unwavering belief in their ability to succeed, and Raul Rosas Jr. certainly has that facet of the game down pat. He also has some damn impressive fighting abilities, and the backing of UFC brass in his quest to rise through the rankings quickly.
Will he be able to bust through the massive logjam that’s growing at the top of the 135 pound division to snatch a title shot in the next twelve months? Probably not. Will we enjoy watching him fight multiple times in 2023 as he attempts to do it? You better believe we will.