Raul Rosas Jr., Jon Jones and more: 5 young prospects who were immediately treated like stars by the UFC
This weekend at UFC 287, teenage sensation Raul Rosas Jr. will continue his journey through the ranks as he faces Christian Rodriguez on the pay-per-view main card.
Raul Rosas Jr. has been given a huge opportunity in the spotlight by the UFC this weekend, but he isn’t the first young prospect that the promotion has treated this way.
Whether Rosas Jr. can reach the top of the mountain, or whether he’ll crash and burn like some before him remains to be seen, but his progress will definitely be fascinating to follow.
With this in mind, here are five young prospects who were immediately treated like stars by the UFC.
#5. Raul Rosas Jr. – UFC bantamweight contender
The latest entry to this list is 18-year old bantamweight prospect Raul Rosas Jr. Currently the youngest fighter on the UFC roster, his treatment has already garnered some controversy amongst fans and his fellow fighters alike.
‘El Nino Problema’ burst onto the scene last September when he was still 17 years old, winning his fight against Mando Gutierrez on Dana White’s Contender Series.
Remarkably, it was actually his sixth professional win, following six wins on the amateur circuit between 2019 and 2021.
Rosas Jr. was immediately inked to a deal by White, and it was hard not to be impressed by his octagon debut last December. He dispatched the far more experienced and older Jay Perrin in the first round with a face crank.
However, the prospect’s position on the main card of the upcoming UFC 287 event has caused some controversy online, with top fifteen ranked middleweight Chris Curtis airing his frustrations about it on social media.
‘Action Man’ stated that he was “salty as f*ck” over the fact that he’d been “bounced from the main card for a child”, although he has later stated that he has come to terms with it and has no problem with Rosa Jr., who he has trained with before.
Not gonna lie, that bout order is completely fucked. One of the best cards of the year and I get bounced from the main card for a child? I fought on short notice. Have take on whoever and gone 4-1 to get ranked and I get bounced for a kid with one fight? Yeah I'm salty as fuck twitter.com/BigMarcel24/st…
Whether Curtis has a point about the favorable treatment of ‘El Nino Problema’ is debatable. After all, from what we’ve seen of him, Rosas Jr. is a uniquely talented fighter with skills far beyond his years in all areas.
In this case, only time will tell whether or not his special treatment will prove to have been warranted.
#4. Sage Northcutt – former UFC lightweight contender
One young prospect who was definitely given special treatment by the UFC – only for it to blow up in the promotion’s face – was Sage Northcutt.
‘Super Sage’ was the first fighter to be discovered by the online series Lookin’ For a Fight, essentially a precursor to Dana White’s Contender Series, back in 2015.
At the age of just 19, Northcutt looked like he’d stepped straight out of a movie set, with a ripped physique and model-like good looks. More importantly, he seemed well-spoken, humble, and every bit the future star in the making.
Unsurprisingly, White quickly offered him a contract, and after he destroyed Frank Trevino in his octagon debut, he quickly found himself positioned as a major star.
years old!Debuting at 1️⃣9️⃣ years old!
@SageNorthcutt heads into #UFCBoise looking to make it three straight. https://t.co/8LVOcjciiN
His second bout with the promotion saw him positioned on the main card of a Fight Night event ahead of the likes of Aljamain Sterling and Santiago Ponzinibbio, something that didn’t go down too well with hardcore fans.
However, when he dispatched opponent Cody Pfister with ease, it seemed like he was ready to live up to all the hype behind him.
Unfortunately, though, the win was about as good as it would get for ‘Super Sage’.
He took a late-notice bout with gritty veteran Bryan Barberena just weeks after his win over Pfister, and was largely exposed in a second-round submission loss.
The defeat ended the hype train he’d been riding, and while he won four of his next five bouts, he only appeared in two more main card showcases. When his contract came up in 2018, he apparently demanded a little too much from the promotion and was allowed to leave.
Since then, Northcutt has fought just once – a knockout loss to Cosmo Alexandre in ONE Championship – and at the age of 27, a bright future in MMA now seems unlikely.
#3. Paige VanZant – former UFC strawweight contender
While younger female fighters like Maycee Barber and Alexa Grasso have been positioned in favorable spots by the UFC, it’s probably fair to say that neither was given the treatment that Paige VanZant was a few years ago.
Looking more like a model than a professional fighter, ’12 Gauge’ debuted in the octagon to mild fanfare in late 2014 at the age of just 20.
After claiming the Fight of the Night bonus for her bout with Kailin Curran, the UFC immediately got right behind her, and suddenly, it felt like she was being pushed as the new face of female MMA.
VanZant won her next two fights, beating veterans Felice Herrig and Alex Chambers, but it was already clear that she wasn’t quite ready for the top fighters in the strawweight division.
#tbt Vanzant vs. Herrig 😉 https://t.co/TLgTBL8vwW
That didn’t stop the promotion from pushing her into a Fight Night headliner against Rose Namajunas just one year after her debut – and unsurprisingly, she suffered a brutal defeat.
From there, ’12 Gauge’ essentially changed her focus. 2016 saw her join the cast of the TV show Dancing with the Stars, and after impressing throughout, she finished in second place.
While VanZant did return to the octagon shortly after, she won just two of her next five bouts, and found herself released from her contract after a defeat to Amanda Ribas in 2020.
Since her departure, VanZant has appeared in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, has branched into pro-wrestling with AEW, and has become more widely known for her modeling work on OnlyFans than her fighting career.
Essentially, then, while her fighting skills didn’t really warrant the star push she received from the UFC, she’s certainly made the most of the spotlight put on her over the years.
#2. Sean O’Malley – UFC bantamweight contender
One fighter who has repaid the faith shown in him by the UFC is current bantamweight contender Sean O’Malley.
Marked out as a potential star from day one, ‘Sugar’ has defied his doubters by stepping up to every challenge he’s been given. At this stage, the brags that he once made about becoming the next Conor McGregor actually seem like a genuine possibility.
O’Malley was signed by the promotion in 2017 at the age of 23, following a win on Dana White’s Contender Series.
With an exciting fighting style, flashy image and no shortage of confidence on the microphone, it was clear that he was a potentially special talent.
As a show of faith in both his skills and potential star power, his debut win over Terrion Ware was not just positioned on the main card of an event, but in the co-headline spot.
When his next victory came on the main card of a pay-per-view – UFC 222 – it looked like he was going to be pushed all the way to the top. However, a positive drug test derailed his momentum and saw him suspended for a two-year period.
Upon his return, though, he quickly found himself back in the spotlight, as he was handed main card feature bouts despite often not facing high-level opponents.
Some fans seemed frustrated by this. This was largely as ‘Sugar’ seemed to be receiving a bigger push from the promotion than higher-ranked bantamweights like Merab Dvalishvili and Marlon Vera, who handed O’Malley his first defeat in 2020.
However, when O’Malley pulled off a massive win over former champion Petr Yan in late 2022, it became impossible to doubt him and his skills any further.
#UFC280AFTER A WILD FIGHT, SEAN O'MALLEY DEFEATS PETR YAN BY SPLIT DECISION 😮 #UFC280 https://t.co/Hm08QAY83W
It now seems likely that a title shot could be in his near future – making him one of the rare examples of a young prospect who has lived up to the push given to him by the UFC.
#1. Jon Jones – UFC heavyweight champion
When Jon Jones made his octagon debut way back in 2008, the UFC, even more than the fans, seemed to realize that they’d unearthed a special talent.
After his late-notice debut win over Andre Gusmao, ‘Bones’ was immediately given a series of main card showcase bouts, facing far more experienced foes like Jake O’Brien and Stephan Bonnar.
Given that he was just 22 years old, the promotion could easily have chosen to take the slow route with Jones, especially as he wasn’t the most vocal fighter outside the octagon.
However, his talent was too obvious to deny. In early 2010, less than two years after his debut, he was given his first headline bout – and in a remarkable showing, he smashed title contender Brandon Vera in the first round.
From there, Jones’ trajectory to the top never looked back.
By March 2011 he’d beaten Shogun Rua for the light-heavyweight title to become the youngest champion in UFC history at the age of just 23.
Ten years ago today, Jon Jones got his first taste of UFC gold by dominating Shogun Rua at UFC 128 🏆
On that night, Bones became the youngest champion in UFC history (23 years, 242 days old), a record that still stands a decade later. https://t.co/PhkIu8oZ0j
His title reign saw him defeat eight opponents in a row before he was stripped due to his poor out-of-octagon conduct, although he would later regain it.
Now, some 13 years after his debut, he holds the UFC heavyweight title and still has not truly been defeated in the octagon.
Jones is widely recognized as one of the greatest fighters of all time – if not the greatest. This means he is the gold standard for young prospects who receive star treatment from the promotion early in their career.