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On Tuesday night, Raul Rosas Jr. made history when he became the youngest fighter to sign a contract with the UFC at the age of 17. As a consequence of the deal, the Mexican-born fighter is also experiencing a massive surge in popularity.
Since winning the UFC contract, Rosas Jr.'s following on Instagram has experienced massive growth. A tweet from MMA journalist Alex Behurin further detailed Rosas Jr's social media rise. He wrote:
"Raul Rosas Jr. has less than 3k followers before his fight last night. He is coming up on 120k"
While Raul Rosas Jr. might be a young gun, the fighter's performances justify the attention he is getting. On Tuesday night, Rosas Jr. faced a tough opponent in fellow countryman Mando Gutierrez.
Before the fight, Rosas Jr. had amassed a record of 5-0, while Gutierrez's record stood at 7-1. Facing an opponent ahead of him in both age and experience, many wondered how Raul Rosas Jr. would perform.
However, 'El Nino Problema' proved his worth as he showcased an impeccable display of grappling. Rosas Jr. outgrappled Gutierrez for all three rounds and earned a unanimous decision victory after which improved his record to 6-0.
Raul Rosas Jr. looks to become the youngest champion in UFC history
The 17-year-old's victory is a massive moment in the history of the UFC. While many would take time off to celebrate such a moment, Rosas Jr. has his eyes set on another fight.
After his win against Gutierrez, 'El Nino Problema' spoke about not wanting to take breaks. In fact, Raul Rosas Jr. mentioned that he would like to stay as active as possible. The fighter said:
"I’m just ready to fight like every week, every month – I don’t even care. I’m all gas, no breaks. Like I said, I’ll rest when I’ll retire, when I’m old. You know, now we’re just getting started, so there’s no reason to take a break."
Rosas Jr.'s intention to stay very active comes from his ambition of winning a UFC title. Not only does the Rosas Jr. want UFC gold, but he has also set his sights on becoming the youngest champion in UFC history. He said:
"I know it won’t be easy, but nothing is easy in this life. I will become the youngest UFC champion. I don’t care what it takes, nobody is going to take this away from me. If I could fight a top five in my UFC debut, I would, but I have to work my way up there and I will be up there soon. I will become the youngest UFC champion when I’m like 19, 20, 21. It doesn’t matter.” [H/T MMA Junkie]
Check out what Rosas Jr. said below:
Currently, Jon Jones holds the record for being the youngest champion in UFC history. At UFC 128, Jones beat Mauricio Rua to win the light heavyweight championship at the age of 23.
