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At UFC Mexico, Raul Rosas Jr. was scheduled to take on Ricky Turcios in one of the event's marquee bouts. It would have been the stiffest test of the young prospect's career. Unfortunately, the fight didn't take place, as Rosas withdrew from the event, citing illness.
While the exact nature of what he contracted remains unknown, it is curious that it was not severe enough to prevent him from making the quickest of turnarounds to fight Turcios next weekend at UFC Fight Night 238. So what could have been behind the prospect's withdrawal?
Furthermore, has such a pullout harmed his image in any way in the eyes of his fans, fellow fighters, and even the UFC?
The more forgivable outcome for Raul Rosas Jr.
Raul Rosas Jr. is a massive bantamweight, standing at 5 foot 9 inches tall, with a wide and well-muscled frame at just 19 years old. The young star is yet to even break into ranked territory at 135 pounds, but has already talked about a future at both featherweight and lightweight.
The reason behind his words is his increasing difficulty in cutting weight for his bantamweight fights. So perhaps a weight-cutting issue could be at the root of the mystery illness he contracted on fight night? It would certainly make for a more forgivable outcome for Rosas.
After all, he wouldn't be the first fighter to be hospitalized for a botched weight cut. It is an excruciating process that drains the body of its own fluid, sometimes to the detriment of the fighter's health and ability to fight. It is a struggle that all fighters can relate to and understand.
Given his youth, it is likely that many will give him a pass as he learns the ins and outs of perfecting his weight cuts, especially since in this instance, he missed out on fighting on a national holiday in Mexico, the country from which his family hails. But a botched weight cut is unlikely.
Rosas is set to compete as soon as next weekend, so whatever pulled him from the fight can't be anything that could lead to kidney failure, like a poor weight cut.
The worst outcome for Raul Rosas Jr.
The truth of the matter is that based on the limited information available, it appears that the reason behind Raul Rosas Jr.'s withdrawal from UFC Mexico was food-related. He likely contracted food poisoning from something he shouldn't have consumed, and there is good reason to assume so.
Rosas is known for not adhering to a strict diet when preparing for fights. In fact, he openly admitted to not using the dieticians and nutritionists at his disposal at the UFC Performance Institute. His love of junk food, he claims, is far too strong for him to follow an athlete's strict diet.
"I actually had a dietician for my last fight, shout out to them. But for this fight, I didn't have no dietician, like, I know the P.I. has some, but I didn't use it because I don't feel like I needed it."
Check out Raul Rosas Jr. discussing his love of junk food (0:13):
He has claimed to have eaten pizza while training for a fight. This highlights what appears to be an issue with discipline revolving around food, which has been a factor in the careers of former UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks and one-time interim middleweight title challenger Kelvin Gastelum.
A lack of professionalism will not reflect well on Rosas, especially given all of his promises to become not only the youngest champion in UFC history, but the first three-division champion the promotion has ever seen. But can he be trusted to bear the torch of the next generation of stars?
If it is revealed that he withdrew from the fight due to being reckless and undisciplined with his eating, this could lead to a shift in attitude. No fighter wants to sign a bout agreement to face an opponent who could withdraw from the contest minutes before making their walkout to the octagon.
Fans won't want to tune in to watch a fighter who isn't even guaranteed to make it to fight night, regardless of how close the bout is to taking place. Rosas pulled out with minutes left to his walkout. The deflated feeling he gave fans eager to watch him compete was indescribable.
More than that, the UFC may no longer feel like Rosas can be trusted with the kind of main card spots that he's been given, and on high-profile cards, no less. He already has a blemish on his record after his inexperience led to a humbling loss against Christian Rodriguez.
That defeat would have fully derailed his hype train if not for his young age. But this could be worse. While it is just one incident, sometimes that's all it takes. After all, it only took one incident for the UFC to pump the breaks on the massive promotional push Khamzat Chimaev had been given.
Rosas had the resources at his disposal, he had dieticians whose services he could have enlisted. He elected not to. And if he loses next weekend to Turcios, it could end poorly.
