The penultimate week of the show again brought five UFC contracts. And in this case too, all five winners rejoiced at winning a valuable contract, that is, including only seventeen-year-old Mexican Raul Rosas Jr., whose performance was perhaps the curiosity of the entire world of combat sports. The young puncher did not disappoint, on the contrary, he completely captivated UFC president Dana White.
Although Rosas was unable to finish before the limit in the fight with compatriot Manda Gutierrez, it was nevertheless a clear victory on points. “When a 17-year-old acts the way he did in this fight, the only thing I can say to him is I’m blown away. He blew him away,” White said during the post-fight press conference at UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
The participation of the young fighter raised a lot of questions. The most common reference was age, because Rosas is not even an adult yet. “After what I just saw, this kid is ready to fight in the UFC. I’m very, very impressed, he’s absolutely outstanding,” continued the famous boss, who was in very good spirits during week nine of the DWCS show.
The native of California, who starts at bantamweight and claimed his sixth win among professionals, thus became the youngest fighter in the history of the UFC. “It’s the amount of hard work and determination that kid has put into the sport at just 17 years old. It’s terrifying. He is very, very strange. He works great with physicality, he didn’t finish the opponent just because the opponent was durable and tough,” White described.
Enormous joy emanated above all from the teenager, who at the age of 17 already reached a valuable contract. “I knew I was going to get the contract. I’ve been saying this from the beginning. I knew from birth that this would happen. I want to become the youngest UFC champion, and no one is going to take that away from me. I’m ready to fight immediately, even with someone in the top 5. I’m ready to fight every week or every month,” Rosas, who will turn 18 on October 8, said confidently.
“I honestly didn’t feel any pressure, I wasn’t even nervous. I took a nap, woke up, started to warm up a little, and then it doesn’t matter who you put in front of me,” continued the fighter with the nickname El Nino Problema, who has made no secret of his desire to fight at an upcoming UFC event.
Dana White’s Contender Series show once again confirmed that there is a whole lot of talent outside of the UFC. In previous weeks, the Czech duo Matěj Peňáz and Tereza Bledá failed to win a contract, while the twenty-year-old fighter paradoxically heard that she still has time to compete among the elite.
