Teenage UFC fighter determined to beat Jon Jones' record

When bantamweight Raul Rosas Jr. fought on Dana White’s Contender Series in September 2022, he was 17-years old.  He defeated Mando Gutierrez and earned a contract to fight in the big show.  

Rosas Jr. made his octagon debut three months later, after turning 18, at UFC 282.  He submitted Jay Perrin in the first round and remained an undefeated fighter.  That would change in his next fight.  In April 2023, at UFC 287, Rosas suffered his first career defeat losing via unanimous decision against Christian Rodriguez. 

He rebounded from the loss with back-to-back finishes, including a second-round submission win over Ricky Turcios at UFC Louisville last weekend.  Back on a win streak, the Mexican teenager wants to etch his name in the record books.  

Rosas aspires to be the youngest fighter to be crowned UFC champion.  Current heavyweight titleholder Jon Jones holds the record for being the youngest champion in UFC history.  At 19, Rosas believes that record is realistically within his grasps. 

“I think it (the record) has always been there.  I did take that loss, and it did set me back a little bit but I knew I was going to be back,” Rosas said during an appearance on The MMA Hour. 

“It depends,” Rosas answered when asked how old he expects to be when he gets a UFC title shot.  “Let me see.  If I get another fight this year, I’m thinking if I win, if I don’t get at Top 15 next, I think winning the next fight will get me a Top 15 and then fighting like three fights in the Top 15.  So, I think two or three years it will take me.”    

In three years, Rosas Jr. will be 22-years old.  Jones was 23 years, 242 days old when he finished Mauricio “Shogun” Rua with strikes in the UFC 128 main event in March 2011 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.