UFC bantamweight prospect Raul Rosas Jr. has some big predictions for the future. The youngest fighter on the roster believes that while boxing may still hold the crown as the most popular combat sport, it won’t stay that way forever, at least with the UFC on its tail.
In an interview, Rosas Jr. said he sees MMA, and the UFC in particular, eventually surpassing boxing in global popularity. With the UFC’s rapid growth and stacked cards year after year, ‘El Nino’ is convinced it’s only a matter of time.
The 20-year-old believes that two factors play into boxing’s edge over MMA in terms of popularity. The first is that boxing has been around for a lot longer than MMA which gives it a natural edge.
Rosas Jr. appeared on ‘Bradley Martyn’s Raw Talk’ where he claimed that it would be hard but it’s certain to happen.
“I think one day it will… Why does boxing make more money than MMA? That is because boxing they have bigger fights, more often, when is someone in MMA going to match Mayweather vs Pacquiao? That is when I started thinking about it.”
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But Rojas Jr. isn’t too concerned with the bigger picture right now. All he wants to do for now is get closer to UFC gold.
Rosas Jr’s grand plans in the UFC
At just 20, Rosas Jr. has his sights set on becoming the youngest UFC champion ever. With three years left to break Jon Jones’ record, Rosas is wasting no time. He stepped into the octagon at Noche UFC (UFC 306) to face Qileng Aori and secured a key win fight that pushed him closer to the top 15.
Since earning his UFC contract in 2022, ‘El Nino Problema’ has become a fan favorite. But he doesn’t plan on putting his body on the line inside the octagon for a decade. ‘Become a champion by 23, retire by 25’, he has often claimed is his motto. It’s the same dream Conor McGregor had, succeeded in realizing.
And it’s eerily similar to the ambitions of UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria, who wants to be out of the sport by 30 years of age.
“I’m all gas, no brakes right now,” Rosas Jr. told ESPN.
“I want to win the title, defend it a few times, and then step away to enjoy life with my family.”
However, it is easier said than done. Unless he magically manages to get into the Top 15 and then defeat someone in the top 5 by 2025, he will not be fighting for the title. And this is the least he has to do. The bantamweight division is stacked to its gills with the top 5 in aggressive feuds with each other.
So, for Rosas Jr. to win the title and then defend it a few times before retiring in a couple of years’ time, he will need to be in possession of that ‘Dana White’ privilege.
