Despite being fairly inexperienced, 19-year-old Raul Rosas Jr. is already chasing Jon Jones. El Nino Problema wants to break the UFC heavyweight champion’s ‘youngest UFC champion’ record.
In a conversation with the popular MMA analyst, Ariel Helwani, the optimistic bantamweight gave a timeframe of when he would capture the belt in the process become the youngest champion. Rosas Jr. has a game plan, a simple plan for effective nevertheless.
He explained the process of first getting into the Top 15 and then taking a few years to compete there before making another big jump.
“It depends. Let me see if I get another fight this year. I’m thinking if I win, if I don’t get a top 15 (fighter) next, I think winning the next fight will give me a top 15. And then fighting like, three fights in the top 15… so probably like two or three years… That’s always been the main goal… I got four years to break it. I think I can make it happen.”
Raul Rosas Jr. is confident he can break Jon Jones' record as the youngest champion in UFC history 🏆
“That’s always been the main goal. I’ve got four years to break it, so I think I can make it happen.”
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— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) June 12, 2024
To this day, Jones’ record stands tall after he dethroned Maurício Rua to become a champion at 23 back in 2011. While it seems like that is a bridge too far, Rosas Jr is confident that he can crack it in four years.
Despite being just 19 years old, Rosas Jr already has a stellar track record of four wins in the promotion incuding three finishes – two via submission and one via TKO. He has also suffered a loss at the hands of Christian Rodriguez but that hasn’t fazed him in any manner.
In fact, the fighter just picked up a spectacular win over TUF winner Ricky Turcios at UFC’s Fight Night in Louisville last weekend.
During the same podcast, he also shared how fighting for the UFC has transformed his and his family’s lives.
“Now we have beds…” – Raul Rosas Jr about how fighting has changed his life
Many UFC fighters and mixed martial artists in general are forged in the fire of poverty, with a great escape being their motivating factor.
Greats like Roberto Duran, and Manny Pacquiao have done it in boxing. Fighters like Conor McGregor were on welfare before becoming the face of MMA. Raul Rosas Jr is the latest example of someone who is well on his path to change the life of his family as well as his own.
Raul Rosas Jr. speaks on how life has changed for him and his family since being in the UFC
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Speaking to Helwani, the fighter opened up about his humble beginnings and shared how being a UFC fighter has changed his life for the better. He said that little by little he has bettered his life and his family’s – from being bedless during his TUF days, Rosas Jr is now doing fairly good for himself.
Gleefully, he admits to having a bed, and a new couch. He is, in fact, going to buy a new house and live the life he’s always dreamt of while taking care of his family with his fighting career.
