If all goes to plan, Raul Rosas Jr. doesn’t intend on sticking around the fight game for too long.
Rosas Jr. (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) makes his fifth octagon appearance when he takes on Aori Qileng (25-11 MMA, 3-3 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 306 (pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+) opener at Sphere in Las Vegas.
19-year-old Rosas Jr. still has four years to break Jon Jones’ record of becoming the youngest UFC champion in history. If he’s able to achieve that, he’s looking at a couple more years of fighting before calling it a career.
“I said before: Suffer now and enjoy later,” Rosas Jr. told ESPN. “So right now, I’m just going to go all gas, no brakes, try to accomplish my dreams, finish my career pretty early and enjoy later.
“I just want to accomplish my dreams which is to become the youngest UFC champion, have the belt, defend the belt a few times, and then probably retire. Hopefully by 25 years old, my career is all said and done, and I’m able to enjoy time with my family and whatever I decide to do.”
Rosas Jr. sees Qileng as a stern test, and if he can finish him, he’ll have the top 15 bantamweights in his sights.
“I feel like I’m right on track,” Rosas Jr. said. “Right now, this is my opportunity. This fight this Saturday is going to put me in a very good spot with four wins in the UFC, four finishes. So right now I’m focused on that and whatever comes next, I’m going to be ready.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.
