Raul Rosas Jr.

Last updated
Raul Rosas Jr.
Raul Rosas Jr. 2024.png
Rosas Jr. in 2024
BornRaul Gilberto Rosas Rios Jr.
(2004-10-08) October 8, 2004 (age 20)
Clovis, New Mexico, U.S.
Other namesEl Niño Problema
NationalityAmerican
Mexican
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight135 lb (61 kg; 9 st 9 lb)
Division Bantamweight
Reach67 in (170 cm)
StyleBJJ
Stance Southpaw
Fighting out of Santa Rosa, California, U.S.
Team 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu
RankBrazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt
Years active2021-present
Mixed martial arts record
Total11
Wins10
By knockout2
By submission6
By decision2
Losses1
By decision1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Raul Gilberto Rosas Rios Jr. [1] (born October 8, 2004) is an American-Mexican mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Rosas Jr. was featured on Dana White's Contender Series, winning by decision and earning himself a UFC contract thus becoming the youngest person to be signed to the UFC in their history. [2]

Contents

Early life

Rosas Jr.'s parents initially immigrated to the United States from Iztapalapa, a district of Mexico City, Mexico. They settled in the city of Clovis, New Mexico, where Raul was born.

At just 13 years old, the family moved to Santa Rosa, California in 2017. He began wrestling in high school and participated in Pankration, an amateur sport similar to mixed martial arts. After a few years in Santa Rosa, Rosas Jr.'s parents made the decision to take their sons' wrestling career a step further. As an amateur, and at just 14 years old, he participated in the IMMAF world championships in Rome, where he was able to win gold. [3]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Rosas Jr. acquired a record of 5-0 competing exclusively in Tijuana, Mexico for the Ultimate Warrior Challenge promotion winning all five fights by stoppage inside of two rounds. [4]

Dana White's Contender Series Season

Rosas Jr. was then booked to compete on Week 9 of Season 6 of Dana White's Contender Series on September 20, 2022, against Mando Gutierrez. [5] He would win the fight via a dominant unanimous decision and was awarded a contract by Dana White thus becoming the youngest fighter to sign a contract with the UFC at the age of 17. [6]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

After earning his contract, Rosas Jr. made his UFC debut at UFC 282 against Jay Perrin on December 10, 2022. [7] He won the fight via first round submission and this became the youngest person to ever win a UFC fight. [8] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award. [9]

Rosas Jr. faced Christian Rodriguez on April 8, 2023, at UFC 287. [10] At the weigh-ins, Rodriguez weighed in at 137 pounds, one pound over the bantamweight non-title fight limit. His bout proceeded at catchweight and he was fined 20% of his purse which went to Rosas Jr. [11] He lost the fight via unanimous decision. [12]

Rosas Jr. faced Terence Mitchell on September 16, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 227. [13] He won the fight via technical knockout inside the first minute. [14] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award. [15]

Rosas Jr. was scheduled to face Ricky Turcios on February 24, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 237. [16] However, Rosas Jr. was forced withdraw just before the bout was expected to begin due to an illness. As a result, the bout was initially pushed back one week to UFC Fight Night 238 on March 2, 2024. [17] In turn, the bout was ultimately scrapped for unknown reasons. [18] The fight would then be rescheduled to UFC on ESPN 57 on June 8, 2024. [19] He won the fight via rear-naked choke in the second round. [20] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award. [21]

Rosas Jr. faced Aori Qileng on September 14, 2024, at UFC 306. [22] He won the fight by unanimous decision. [23]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
11 matches10 wins1 loss
By knockout20
By submission60
By decision21
Res.RecordOpponentMethodEventDateRoundTimeLocationNotes
Win10–1 Aori Qileng Decision (unanimous) UFC 306 September 14, 202435:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win9–1Ricky TurciosSubmission (rear-naked choke) UFC on ESPN: Cannonier vs. Imavov June 8, 202422:22 Louisville, Kentucky, United StatesPerformance of the Night.
Win8–1Terrence MitchellTKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2 September 16, 202310:54 Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesPerformance of the Night.
Loss7–1Christian RodriguezDecision (unanimous) UFC 287 April 8, 202335:00 Miami, Florida, United StatesCatchweight (137.5 lb) bout; Rodriguez missed weight.
Win7–0Jay PerrinSubmission (face crank) UFC 282 December 10, 202212:44 Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesPerformance of the Night.
Win6–0Mando GutierrezDecision (unanimous) Dana White's Contender Series 55 September 20, 202235:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win5–0Andres PortocarreroTKO (punches)UWC Mexico 35June 24, 202212:11 Tijuana, Mexico
Win4–0Jose Guadalupe PeñalozaSubmission (rear-naked choke)UWC Mexico 34May 27, 202222:25 Tijuana, MexicoBantamweight debut.
Win3–0Francisco VillanuevaSubmission (armbar)UWC Mexico 33April 29, 202212:07 Tijuana, Mexico
Win2–0Joel PeñaSubmission (armbar)UWC Mexico 32March 25, 202210:54 Tijuana, Mexico
Win1–0Eduardo VelázquezSubmission (rear-naked choke)UWC Mexico 30November 26, 202111:01 Tijuana, MexicoFeatherweight debut.

[25]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Raul Rosas Jr. ("El Niño Problema") | MMA Fighter Page". Tapology. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
  2. ↑ "Rosas Jr., de 17 años, el más joven en firmar con UFC". ESPN.com.mx (in Spanish). 2022-09-21. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  3. ↑ "Quién es Raúl Rosas Jr. el peleador mexicano más joven contratado por la UFC". Infobae (in Spanish). 2022-09-22. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  4. ↑ "Raul Rosas Jr. "El Niño Problema" Record: 8-1-0, Stats, and Past Fights". verdictmma.com.
  5. ↑ Staff, MMAWeekly com (September 19, 2022). "Meet Raul Rosas Jr. the 17-year-old fighting at DWCS week 9". MMAWeekly.com | UFC and MMA News, Results, Rumors, and Videos.
  6. ↑ Daniels, Tim. "Raul Rosas Jr. Becomes Youngest Fighter to Ever Sign UFC Contract at Age 17". Bleacher Report.
  7. ↑ "18-year-old Raul Rosas Jr. set to make promotional debut vs. Jay Perrin at UFC 282". MMA Junkie. 2022-10-26. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  8. ↑ Bitter, Shawn (2022-12-10). "UFC 282: Raul Rosas Jr Impresses in Debut, Subs Jay Perrin". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  9. 1 2 Dan Hiergesell (2022-12-11). "UFC 282 bonuses: All fighters with finishes collect $50K". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2022-12-11.
  10. ↑ Newswire, MMA Fighting (2023-01-19). "Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Christian Rodriguez added to UFC 287". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
  11. ↑ Alexander K. Lee (2023-04-07). "UFC 287 weigh-in results: Alex Pereira, Israel Adesanya set for main event grudge match, one fighter misses weight". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  12. ↑ Rush, Dylan (2023-04-08). "UFC 287: Christian Rodriguez First to Defeat Teen Sensation Raul Rosas Jr". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  13. ↑ "Raul Rosas Jr. returns to action at Noche UFC vs. Terrence Mitchell". MMA Junkie. 2023-08-16. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  14. ↑ Morehouse, Cade (2024-09-16). "Noche UFC: Raul Rosas Jr. Storms Back into Win Column, Decimates Terrance Mitchell". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  15. 1 2 Staff (2023-09-17). "Noche UFC post-fight bonuses: 5 get additional $50,000 performance bumps". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  16. ↑ Marrocco, Steven (2024-01-05). "Raul Rosas Jr. faces Ricky Turcios at UFC Mexico City". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  17. ↑ Martin, Damon (2024-02-24). "Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Ricky Turcios scrapped from UFC Mexico City just before walkouts". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  18. ↑ Martin, Damon (2024-02-27). "Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Ricky Turcios no longer expected at UFC Vegas 87 on Saturday". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  19. ↑ Martin, Damon (2024-04-11). "Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Ricky Turcios rescheduled for UFC event on June 8". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  20. ↑ "UFC on ESPN 57 results: Raul Rosas Jr. taps Ricky Turcios with slick rear-naked choke". MMA Junkie. 2024-06-09. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  21. 1 2 Chris Taylor (2024-06-09). "UFC Louisville bonus report: Raul Rosas Jr. one of four fighters to take home $50k". bjpenn.com. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  22. ↑ Nolan King (2024-07-19). "Raul Rosas Jr. booked for Noche UFC at Sphere vs. Aoriqileng". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
  23. ↑ Staff (2024-09-14). "Raul Rosas Jr Kicks Off UFC 306 with Clear Decision Over Aoriqileng". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  24. ↑ Thomas Gerbasi (December 20, 2022). "The Newcomers - 2022 UFC.com Awards". Ultimate Fighting Championship .
  25. ↑ Sherdog.com. "Raul". Sherdog. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
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