- Raul Rosas Jr. may well be the next big thing in UFC.
- Rosas is still a senior in high school but dominated a grown adult man in an MMA fight Saturday.
- The 18-year-old said post-fight that he’s now gunning for the UFC championship.
LAS VEGAS — The UFC has another potential superstar on its roster.
Raul Rosas Jr., a standout performer in Dana White‘s bleeding ground “Contender Series,” graduated to the big leagues Saturday and scored a stomping first-round submission win on his UFC debut.
The prospect fighter is a senior in high school, learning from home so he can continue his progression in mixed martial arts.
What made his victory in front of a huge crowd at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas all the more impressive was that it was struck against a fully grown adult man.
Yes, the 18-year-old hammered his 29-year-old opponent and made Jay Perrin tap to a rear-naked choke after only 2 minutes and 44 seconds of ultimate fighting.
Watch Rosas submit Perrin right here:
—ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 11, 2022
Rosas is gunning for UFC gold
The victory advanced Rosas’ unbeaten pro-MMA record to seven wins (one knockout, five submissions, and one decision) while ensuring he’s now the youngest-ever athlete to win in the UFC.
Despite the dominant nature of his win, Rosas told Insider and other reporters backstage that he was not satisfied. “What I’m saying is I still don’t have what I want,” he said.
“What I want is the belt right here with me. So I’m still not satisfied.”
Rosas added: “All I see is gold. I don’t really know any names outside of the top 15 [rankings]. Whoever I have to get through to get to that belt, I’m gonna get through.”
The teenager’s performance blew Dana White away
Photo by Getty Images
UFC boss White told Insider and other reporters later that the youngster’s performance belied his years.
“UFC jitters are absolutely real,” said White. “It happens to all the guys. I don’t care how good you are, how confident you are, all that stuff. It’s a real thing, and he overcame it tonight at a very young age.
“There’s a hysterical meme that people were sending me tonight of him in school next week. It’s pretty funny.
“But when you try to wrap your head around that and think about the tremendous pressure that this kid must be under to come in and fight in the UFC, it’s awesome.”
Finishing, Rosas told Insider that, as he isn’t old enough to celebrate in the nightclubs Las Vegas has to offer, he’ll instead celebrate victory with a house party.
—Al Dawson (@AlanDawsonSport) December 11, 2022
Elsewhere at the UFC 282 event, the bout between Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev finished with a draw, Paddy Pimblett earned a dubious decision over Jared Gordon, and Ilia Topuria submitted Bryce Mitchell with an arm-triangle choke.
