LAS VEGAS – Raul Rosas Jr.’s confidence never wavered after suffering his first MMA loss, but he gave people a reason to start buying into his hype again at Noche UFC.
Rosas (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) is still the youngest fighter on the UFC roster. After shining in his debut in December, he succumbed to a one-sided defeat in April for what was the first blemish on his record.
Even though all the naysays pointed to the result as evidence the 18-year-old didn’t belong on this stage so soon, or would never become the champion he’s vocalized he would be, Rosas was never deterred.
So when he entered the cage against Terrence Mitchell (14-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC) on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena, he never had the slightest bit of negativity in his mind about his ability, and that translated with a 54-second TKO finish that earned Performance of the Night honors.
“(I) never had any doubts,” Rosas told MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight at Noche UFC. “(I) never had any doubts about my skills. The only thing that loss changed was my record, and tonight I showed that nothing has changed.”
Rosas said he was prepared for everything Mitchell could offer on fight night. It turned out that wasn’t much, because Rosas cracked him with a massive punch early in the fight then showed tremendous killer instinct in swarming until he got the finish.
“My grappling and my timing was on point,” Rosas said. “If it touched the ground, I knew I was going to find the submission. We put in a lot of work. I’ve been working lots of grappling. I was just blessed to show everything. I’ve evolved from the last fight. (I) showed my improvements and I was able to do it tonight.”
Despite still only being a teenager, Rosas is clearly comfortable and confident in his own skin. He knows what he wants from his career, and that’s greatness in every aspect. The road to get there is long, but Rosas has the utmost belief he can be something special.
“I’m different,” Rosas said. “I have the potential to be a superstar and break all these records. I’m just being myself, and I’m blessed that I am the way I am. I know I have potential to become one of the biggest superstars of the company.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Noche UFC.
