Aljamain Sterling sees former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo losing to 18-year-old Raul Rosas Jr. in fantasy matchup

UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling believes the youngest fighter on the roster, Raul Rosas Jr., could defeat experienced veteran Deiveson Figueiredo.

A misleading tweet by a fan prompted the discussion on Rosas Jr.'s true capabilities. The tweet stated that the young fighter's planned second UFC opponent, Christian Rodriguez, was no longer fighting at UFC 287 and was being replaced by Figueiredo.

Check out the tweet below:

Bomai

@Bomai777

BREAKING

Christian Rodriguez is OUT.

Raul Rosas Jr. takes on Deiveson Figueiredo at #UFC287 on April 8th!!

8128

417

🚨🚨BREAKING🚨🚨

Christian Rodriguez is OUT.

Raul Rosas Jr. takes on Deiveson Figueiredo at #UFC287 on April 8th!! https://t.co/l554nIYZ09

Sterling quoted another tweet that spoke of the fake matchup being a premature one, in which Rosas Jr. would be soundly beaten. 'Funk Master' tweeted out that the Mexican fighter's style would match-up well against Figueiredo:

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"Stylistically, I see Rosas winning this…"

Check out his tweet below:

Aljamain Sterling

@funkmasterMMA

Stylistically, I see Rosas winning this… twitter.com/unclecreepymma…

Ian McCall

@Unclecreepymma

Apparently the @ufc doesn’t think figueiredo can beat Mexicans? This kids very good but man that’s a tall order twitter.com/bomai777/statu…

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1

Apparently the @ufc doesn’t think figueiredo can beat Mexicans? This kids very good but man that’s a tall order twitter.com/bomai777/statu…

Stylistically, I see Rosas winning this… twitter.com/unclecreepymma…

Deiveson Figueiredo's last four outings inside the octagon have been against Brandon Moreno. After his latest loss against the Mexican at UFC 283 in front of his home crowd in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 'Deus Da Guerra' announced that he would be moving up to bantamweight.

If Rosas Jr.'s claims of fighting for the title in another year hold up, he may have to go through the Brazilian. Until then, though, this matchup sounds far-fetched due to 'El Nino Problema's career still being in its fledgling years.

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Aljamain Sterling predicts title contention for Raul Rosas Jr.

Aljamain Sterling also rates Raul Rosas Jr. high enough to see him fight for the championship in the future. In an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Sterling spoke of the Mexican's young age aiding him in a potentially long career.

'Funk Master' also compared the young bantamweight to his own younger version and praised his skills. He said:

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“He has a high ceiling. He’s wild, invincible right now. He’s very durable because he’s so young. He has a style that’s gonna have him having so much longevity because of his grappling and his tenacity. He reminds me of a younger me."

Sterling also stated that it is highly probable that Rosas Jr. will challenge for the championship in the future and get a lot of wins under his belt:

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“I like watching the kid. I think his ceiling is very high, and I think he’s gonna beat a lot of guys on his way up to maybe one day fight for the belt. I would be surprised if he doesn’t fight for the belt. He’s that talented.”

Watch Aljamain Sterling's full interview with Ariel Helwani on YouTube:

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