MIAMI – Raul Rosas Jr., at 18 years old and only in his second promotional appearance, will make his pay-per-view main card debut Saturday at UFC 287.
The youngest fighter in UFC history, Rosas (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has his name next to all sorts of age-based records after his promotional debut submission win over Jay Perrin at UFC 282 in December.
Progressing as an athlete in unprecedented territory, Rosas will open up Saturday’s main card at Kaseya Center. The decision to place Rosas and his opponent Christian Rodriguez (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) among UFC contenders was met with surprise from some, and criticism from others.
Rosas hasn’t heard the haters, but responded confidently when MMA Junkie notified him of them Wednesday at a pre-fight news conference.
“I don’t know who said that, but at the end of the day, they’re all just hating,” Rosas said. “They should take some notes if they want to be on the pay-per-view card. They should take some notes and learn some stuff from me. I already got in the UFC and I’m already on the pay-per-view, not like other regular fighters that are prelim fighters. I don’t want to say names, but yeah.”
Rosas’ opponent Rodriguez is viewed as a bit more of a prospect type than his previous opponent Perrin. The idea of him fighting another up-and-comer excites Rosas, who thinks he can truly show he’s ahead of the game.
“There’s nothing that concerns me,” Rosas said. “He’s a good fight. I’m just levels above. I’m going to go out there and show it Saturday night. I think about this fight. This is a perfect fight because if I’m not wrong he’s a prospect, too. That’s exactly the fight I needed, so I can show that I’m levels above these prospects and I’m ready to fight in the top 15.”
If all goes as he plans Saturday, Rosas wants to fight three more times by 2023’s close in order to position himself for contender fights in 2024.
“I see myself winning this fight Saturday night,” Rosas said. “We need at least another three this year, because I want to fight four times this year at least. I wish it could be more but at least four times. Maybe after this one and another two, I can start fighting in the top 15.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 287.
