Raul Rosas Jr. left the MMA world in awe, and it got him a UFC contract.
The 17-year-old bantamweight dominated his opponent Mando Gutierrez at Dana White’s Contender Series 55, which took place on Tuesday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Rosas (6-0) dominated Gutierrez (7-2) to win a clean 30-27 scoring across all three judges’ scorecards, and as a results UFC president Dana White made him the youngest fighter in company history to earn a deal.
“He is absolutely, positively talented. He’s special,” White told Laura Sanko at the post-event decision announcement. “He’s different. At 17 years old you just don’t see kids handling themselves like that.”
The new youngest fighter in UFC history! Welcome to the roster Raul Rosas Jr. 👏 #DWCS pic.twitter.com/tORtYkCdv9
— UFC (@ufc) September 21, 2022
In the first round, Rosas closed the distance early and took down Gutierrez. He dominated Gutierrez for the majority of the round – and even threatened with a suloev-stretch. In the very final seconds, Rosas got caught in a guillotine choke, but he was able to defend the submission until the bell.
This Suloev stretch attempt by Raul Rosas Jr. was naaaaasty 👀 #DWCS pic.twitter.com/P2SUoluoAu
— UFC (@ufc) September 21, 2022
The second was very similar to the first. Rosas took down Gutierrez and dominated the action. Gutierrez had a couple of reversals and also had back-mount briefly, but Rosas was in control for the majority of the round. The 17-year-old was very dominant.
In the final round, Gutierrez corner was imploring him to finish the fight. He switched the roles and took down Rosas, but not long after he was reversed. From there it was, again, a one-way street for Rosas until the final bell.
Rosas remains unbeaten in his young professional MMA career. He’s been fighting professionally since October 2021, picking up four submission finishes and one TKO. His win at DWCS 55 was the first time he went to a decision. Rosas also fought amateur prior to turning pro, going 2-0.
Rosas performance caught the attention of many in the MMA community, including former UFC title challenger and decorated grappler Gilbert Burns.
Wow Rosas Jr impressive! #DWCS
— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) September 21, 2022
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Dana White’s Contender Series 55.
