UFC’s youngest fighter Raul Rosas Jr. has left the entire roster impressed on his debut against Jay Perrin.
The 18-year-old high schooler looked absolutely flawless, submitting his opponent with a rear-naked choke within the opening frame.
‘El Nino Problema’ went on to cut a Ric Flair-esque promo inside the octagon and asked Dana White for a $50k performance bonus.
Top UFC athletes are awed by the heights Rosas Jr. is scaling at such a young age. Perrenial middleweight contender Derek Brunson joked about taking financial aid when he was of the same age. Brunson wrote:
“When I was 18 , I was filling out financial aid packets . Rojas jr out here making 50g’s 😂😂😂 #UFC282”
Welterweight contender Geoff Neal wrote:
“Bro like wtf? 18? First round finish in the UFC? So wild when you really consider where you were at at his age #ufc282”
UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling is seemingly relieved as he will likely move up a weight class by the time Rosas Jr. makes a title bid at 135 lbs. ‘Funkmaster’ wrote:
“Luckily for me, I’ll be gone to 145 lbs by time this savage gets to fight for the belt! Good luck, young stud! #UFC282”
Check out more reactions below:
Raul Rosas Jr. claims he can beat Aljamain Sterling right now
Raul Rosas Jr. earned his UFC contract with a dominant decision win over Mando Gutierrez at DWCS back in September, at 17 years of age. Going into his UFC debut against Jay Perrin, the confident 18-year-old claimed that he is comfortable fighting absolutely anybody.
While he acknowledges that there is still room left for his development, ‘El Nino Problema’ believes he can dethrone Aljamain Sterling right now. Raul Rosas Jr. said in an interview with Mirror Fighting leading up to UFC 282:
“I feel comfortable fighting with anybody. I know I’ve still got to get better but even right now, if I was to fight the UFC champion, I know I would take him out. Not only win, but finish him. I keep getting better and better, but even at this level I can beat anybody.”
