California-Born Teen Rosas Makes Record-Breaking UFC Debut

Being only 18 years old, Raul Rosas Jr. is the youngest champion in UFC history. But it’s obvious that he picked things up quickly.

“El Niño Problema“ claimed the T-Mobile Arena microphone after rear-naked choking Jay Perrin for the bantamweight title to submit him at 2:44 of the opening round at UFC 282. He then shouted at UFC president Dana White in front of the Las Vegas crowd, as so many of his much older counterparts have done throughout the years.

Rosas, who dropped his last high school year to start competing in MMA, naturally wanted a post-fight $50,000 bonus after winning the final preliminary bout of the evening, and he wasn’t out of line in doing so. He received a warm welcome from the fans when he entered the cage despite being the subject of intense scrutiny for the whole week leading up to the battle.

Perrin Was in No-Win Situation, While Rosas Was in All-Win

Perrin (10-7 MMA, 0-3 UFC) began the fight knowing he couldn’t win. If he prevailed, he would’ve defeated a teenager. If he fell short, the newest fighter in UFC history would’ve defeated him in his debut match. Rosas (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC), though, appeared to fit in without a doubt. Perrin got the battle started with a strong left hook and then a jab, but Rosas quickly gained the upper hand and forced the bout to the mat.

Rosas swiftly clung to Perrin’s back, flattened him out, and eventually got his hooks in to set up the submission in the opening round. Perrin was swiftly pulled out and pushed to the ground. When he did, Perrin had Rosas on his own back in an instant. From that point on, Rosas’ win was only a matter of time. The enormous crowd roared once more following the second Perrin’s tap, after which it was clear why no deposit bonuses bookies have had faith in the youngster.

Rosas Says He Aims to Overtake Jones’ Record

Prior to the battle, the California-born fighter with Mexican roots had stated that he wanted to overtake Jon Jones as the youngest champion in UC history. In 2011, at the age of 23, Jones won the light heavyweight championship. Rosas has lots of time to close the gap on Jones. He might want to consider being the youngest to win championships in two divisions given the amount of time he has to surpass Jones’ record.

Rosas, now a senior in high school, made his UFC debut after being offered a promotional contract by Dana White’s Contender Series this past summer when he was still only 17 years old. There aren’t many 18-year-olds like Rosas, which makes it absurd to think of an 18-year-old in such terms.