Seventeen-year-old Raul Rosas Jr has become the youngest fighter in UFC history after he was awarded a contract following his win on the Contender Series.
Rosas dominated 25-year-old Mando Gutierrez with his grappling skills over three rounds to win a unanimous decision, extending his unbeaten record to 6-0. All of Rosas' previous wins had come by stoppage before his fight against Gutierrez, with the Mexican making his amateur debut at the age of 15. Contender Series alumni Chase Hooper previously held the record now broken by Rosas, when he was awarded a UFC contract as an 18-year-old.
Nearly finishing Gutierrez in the opening round with an impressive Suloev stretch submission, Rosas also impressed UFC boss Dana White by showing off his striking skills over the course of the fight. The 17-year-old said of his win: "I knew I was gonna get that contract. I've been saying it since the beginning. Since I was born, I knew this was gonna happen. "Everybody shouldn't be surprised. I'm the new king in here, so I'm coming for that belt now. I'm gonna be champion when I'm 20."
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If Rosas, who turns 18 on October 8, is to break the record for the youngest champion in UFC history, he has five years to do so. The feat is currently held by former pound-for-pound No.1 Jon Jones, who won the light-heavyweight belt at 23 years old when he knocked out MMA legend Shogun Rua in 2011.
"Everybody is here for a reason in the Contender Series and this is a life-changing opportunity. I expected him to bring everything and I was trying to get the knockout every second of the fight and I wasn't able to get it, he was a tough guy for hanging in there so props to him. Next time I will get the knockout," Rosas added.
White insisted he and the UFC matchmakers all knew Rosas would be awarded a contract following his win and they didn't even have a discussion about it. The UFC boss urges fighters competing on the Contender Series to show their hunger by seeking the finish - and he thinks Rosas ticked all of the boxes.
“There was nothing to even discuss. We didn’t even talk about it back there. I’ve never seen anything like it," White said. "He’s absolutely positively talented, he’s special, he’s different. For a 17-year-old to conduct himself the way he did in this fight, I was blown away by it. Blown away. I’m very, very impressed with this kid. He’s absolutely special. The amount of fighters that were blowing me up going, ‘Oh my God. This kid is for real. This kid is legit. Impressive.'”
