Raul Rosas Jr.
Mexican-American mixed martial artist (born 2004)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Raúl Gilberto Rosas Rios Jr.[1] (born October 8, 2004) is a Mexican and American mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Rosas Jr. was featured on Dana White's Contender Series, winning by decision and earning himself a UFC contract thus becoming the youngest person to be signed to the UFC in their history at 17 years, 11 months, 12 days old. Rojas Jr is also the youngest fighter to ever enter the UFC rankings at 21 years old.[2]
October 8, 2004
Clovis, New Mexico, U.S.
| Raul Rosas Jr. | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rosas Jr. in 2024 | |||||||||||||||
| Born | Raúl Gilberto Rosas Rios Jr. October 8, 2004 Clovis, New Mexico, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Other names | El Niño Problema | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 135 lb (61 kg; 9 st 9 lb) | ||||||||||||||
| Division | Bantamweight | ||||||||||||||
| Reach | 67 in (170 cm) | ||||||||||||||
| Stance | Southpaw | ||||||||||||||
| Fighting out of | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Team | 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu | ||||||||||||||
| Rank | 1st degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu | ||||||||||||||
| Years active | 2021–present | ||||||||||||||
| Mixed martial arts record | |||||||||||||||
| Total | 13 | ||||||||||||||
| Wins | 12 | ||||||||||||||
| By knockout | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| By submission | 6 | ||||||||||||||
| By decision | 4 | ||||||||||||||
| Losses | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| By decision | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||||||
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||
Early life
Rosas Jr.'s parents initially immigrated to the United States from Iztapalapa, a district of Mexico City, Mexico. They settled in the city of Clovis, New Mexico, where Raul was born.
At 13 years old, the family moved to Santa Rosa, California. He began wrestling in high school and participated in Pankration, an amateur sport similar to MMA. After a few years in Santa Rosa, Rosas Jr.'s parents made the decision to take their sons' wrestling career a step further. As an amateur, and at just 14 years old, he participated in the IMMAF world championships in Rome, where he was able to win gold.[3]
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Rosas Jr. acquired a record of 5–0 competing exclusively in Tijuana, Mexico, for the Ultimate Warrior Challenge Mexico promotion winning all five fights by stoppage inside of two rounds.[4]
Dana White's Contender Series Season
Rosas Jr. was then booked to compete on Week 9 of Season 6 of Dana White's Contender Series on September 20, 2022, against Mando Gutierrez.[5] He would win the fight via a dominant unanimous decision and was awarded a contract by Dana White thus becoming the youngest fighter to sign a contract with the UFC at the age of 17.[6]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
After earning his contract, Rosas Jr. made his UFC debut at UFC 282 against Jay Perrin on December 10, 2022.[7] He won the fight via first round submission and this became the youngest person to ever win a UFC fight.[8] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.[9]
Rosas Jr. faced Christian Rodriguez on April 8, 2023, at UFC 287.[10] At the weigh-ins, Rodriguez weighed in at 137 pounds, one pound over the bantamweight non-title fight limit. His bout proceeded at catchweight and he was fined 20% of his purse which went to Rosas Jr.[11] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[12]
Rosas Jr. faced Terence Mitchell on September 16, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 227.[13] He won the fight via technical knockout inside the first minute.[14] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.[15]
Rosas Jr. was scheduled to face Ricky Turcios on February 24, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 237.[16] However, Rosas Jr. was forced withdraw just before the bout was expected to begin due to an illness. As a result, the bout was initially pushed back one week to UFC Fight Night 238 on March 2, 2024.[17] In turn, the bout was ultimately scrapped for unknown reasons.[18] The fight would then be rescheduled to UFC on ESPN 57 on June 8, 2024.[19] He won the fight via rear-naked choke in the second round.[20] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.[21]
Rosas Jr. faced Aori Qileng on September 14, 2024, at UFC 306.[22] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[23]
Rosas Jr. faced Vince Morales on March 29, 2025 at UFC on ESPN 64.[24] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[25]
Rosas Jr. was scheduled to face Rob Font on September 13, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 259.[26] However, Rosas Jr. had to withdraw due to an injury and was replaced by David Martínez.[27][28] The re-scheduled bout took place on March 7, 2026, at UFC 326.[29] Rosas Jr. won the fight by unanimous decision.[30]
Submission grappling career
Rosas Jr. faced the former two-time UFC Flyweight Champion Deiveson Figueiredo in a submission grappling match at Hype FC Brazil: Sao Paulo on April 8, 2026.[31] The bout ended in a draw.[32]
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Performance of the Night (Three times) vs. Jay Perrin, Terence Mitchell and Ricky Turcios[9][15][21]
- Youngest fighter to sign a UFC contract (17 years, 11 months)[33]
- Youngest fighter to win a UFC bout (18 years, 2 months)[34]
- Youngest fighter to win five UFC bouts (20 years, 5 months)[35]
- Highest control time percentage in UFC Bantamweight division history (56.9%)[36]
- Second highest top position percentage in UFC Bantamweight division history (47.7%)[36]
- Second fewest strikes absorbed-per-minute in UFC Bantamweight division history (1.34)[36]
- Tied (Aljamain Sterling & Petr Yan) for fifth most takedowns landed in UFC Bantamweight division history (32)[36]
- Second most takedowns landed in a UFC Bantamweight bout (16) (vs. Rob Font)[37]
- Tied (Sean Sherk) for fourth most takedowns landed in a bout (16) (vs. Rob Font)[38]
- Third most takedowns landed in a three round bout (16) (vs. Rob Font)[38]
- Highest takedown accuracy percentage in a UFC Bantamweight bout (88.9%) (vs. Rob Font)[37]
- UFC.com Awards
- MMA Junkie
- 2022 Newcomer of the Year[40]
- MMA Fighting
- 2022 Third Team MMA All-Star[41]
Mixed martial arts record
| 13 matches | 12 wins | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 2 | 0 |
| By submission | 6 | 0 |
| By decision | 4 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 12–1 | Rob Font | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 326 | March 7, 2026 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 11–1 | Vince Morales | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Moreno vs. Erceg | March 29, 2025 | 3 | 5:00 | Mexico City, Mexico | |
| Win | 10–1 | Aori Qileng | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 306 | September 14, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 9–1 | Ricky Turcios | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC on ESPN: Cannonier vs. Imavov | June 8, 2024 | 2 | 2:22 | Louisville, Kentucky, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 8–1 | Terrence Mitchell | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2 | September 16, 2023 | 1 | 0:54 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Loss | 7–1 | Christian Rodriguez | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 287 | April 8, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Miami, Florida, United States | Catchweight (137.5 lb) bout; Rodriguez missed weight. |
| Win | 7–0 | Jay Perrin | Submission (face crank) | UFC 282 | December 10, 2022 | 1 | 2:44 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 6–0 | Mando Gutierrez | Decision (unanimous) | Dana White's Contender Series 55 | September 20, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 5–0 | Andres Portocarrero | TKO (punches) | UWC Mexico 35 | June 24, 2022 | 1 | 2:11 | Tijuana, Mexico | |
| Win | 4–0 | Jose Guadalupe Peñaloza | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UWC Mexico 34 | May 27, 2022 | 2 | 2:25 | Tijuana, Mexico | Bantamweight debut. |
| Win | 3–0 | Francisco Villanueva | Submission (armbar) | UWC Mexico 33 | April 29, 2022 | 1 | 2:07 | Tijuana, Mexico | |
| Win | 2–0 | Joel Peña | Submission (armbar) | UWC Mexico 32 | March 25, 2022 | 1 | 0:54 | Tijuana, Mexico | |
| Win | 1–0 | Eduardo Velázquez | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UWC Mexico 30 | November 26, 2021 | 1 | 1:01 | Tijuana, Mexico | Featherweight debut. |
