# Raul Rosas Jr.

Raúl Gilberto Rosas Rios Jr. (born October 8, 2004) is a Mexican and American mixed martial artist who 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.

## 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 just 13 years old, the family moved to Santa Rosa, California in 2017. He began wrestling in high school and participated in Pankration, an amateur sport similar to mixed martial arts. 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.

## Mixed martial arts career
### Early career

Rosas Jr. acquired a record of 5-0 competing exclusively in Tijuana, Mexico for the Ultimate Warrior Challenge promotion winning all five fights by stoppage inside of two rounds.

### 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. 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.

### Ultimate Fighting Championship

After earning his contract, Rosas Jr. made his UFC debut at UFC 282 against Jay Perrin on December 10, 2022. He won the fight via first round submission and this became the youngest person to ever win a UFC fight. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.
Rosas Jr. faced Christian Rodriguez on April 8, 2023, at UFC 287. 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. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Rosas Jr. faced Terence Mitchell on September 16, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 227. He won the fight via technical knockout inside the first minute. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.
Rosas Jr. was scheduled to face Ricky Turcios on February 24, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 237. 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. In turn, the bout was ultimately scrapped for unknown reasons. The fight would then be rescheduled to UFC on ESPN 57 on June 8, 2024. He won the fight via rear-naked choke in the second round. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.
Rosas Jr. faced Aori Qileng on September 14, 2024, at UFC 306. He won the fight by unanimous decision.
Rosas Jr. is scheduled to face Vince Morales on March 29, 2025 at UFC on ESPN 64.

## Championships and accomplishments
### Mixed martial arts

* Ultimate Fighting Championship
** Performance of the Night (Three times) vs. Jay Perrin, Terence Mitchell and Ricky Turcios
** UFC.com Awards
*** 2022: Ranked #9 Newcomer of the Year

## Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown :
| 11 matches | 10 wins | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 2 | 0 |
| By submission | 6 | 0 |
| By decision | 2 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| 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. |