Raul Rosas Jr. is set to take on Christian Rodriguez at UFC 287 on April 8
Raul Rosas Jr. has his second UFC fight booked for April.
One of the biggest MMA stories of 2022 was a 17-year-old earning a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series. The teenager was Rosas Jr., who turned 18 before making his promotional debut against Jay Perrin at UFC 282. ‘El Nino Problema’ won with a first-round submission, becoming the youngest UFC fighter to win in promotional history.
Raul Rosas absolutely smokes Jay Perrin and becomes the youngest fighter to win a fight in UFC history!!! #UFC282 https://t.co/cVlUaD223I
Four months after his debut, Rosas Jr. is scheduled to make his Octagon return on April 8 against Christian Rodriguez. Marcel Dorff broke the news on Twitter by saying:
“BREAKING Raul Rosas Jr. takes on Christian Rodriguez at #UFC287 on April 8th!!”
Rodriguez holds a promotional record of 1-1 after submitting Joshua Weems with a first-round submission in October. ‘CeeRod’ has a tough test ahead of him as Rosas Jr. has the potential to become a UFC world champion in the future.
🚨🚨BREAKING🚨🚨
Raul Rosas Jr. takes on Christian Rodriguez at #UFC287 on April 8th!! https://t.co/uxrtlhAAT4
Aljamain Sterling says he would be surprised if Raul Rosas Jr. doesn’t fight for a UFC title one day
Raul Rosas Jr. has a delusional amount of confidence for an 18-year-old fighter. ‘El Nino Problema’ was on The MMA Hour when he said he could beat reigning champion Aljamain Sterling. MMA journalist Ariel Helwani asked Sterling about Rosas Jr. on a recent episode of The MMA Hour. ‘Funk Master’ had this to say:
“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 continued by saying:
“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…”
‘Funk Master’ also stated that he would sign a contract to fight Raul Rosas Jr. right now if offered by Dana White. Although the 18-year-old isn’t ready for a world title fight, his confidence is a key contributor to his success thus far.