UFC bantamweight prospect Raul Rosas Jr. kicked off the night on a high note for the Mexican fighters at UFC 306. The 19-year-old kicked things off at UFC Noche as he opened the packed-out early prelims. He defeated Aori Qileng via unanimous decision. In a challenging bout, Rosas had to push through in the third round to clinch the win, as his opponent had taken the second round on all three scorecards
He secured his fourth victory in the octagon, marking his third consecutive win in the UFC. However, he did not get the win in the way he’d hoped, as there was no spectacular knockout or submission. His grappling helped him get the win, and in his post-fight interview, the Mexican made a bold claim when speaking to Joe Rogan. Rosas asked for a performance bonus only for several highlight-worthy finishes, gruesome cuts, and a serious Fight of the Year contender later on in the card.
It was just heat of the moment you know like since I’m used to getting finishes and asking for it after, it was just like, it just came out. But either way, the way that my argument to say that I would deserve it, my argument be that the people showed up because of me, you know. The event was packed because of me. Like I’m saying because they were there since early because I was on the prelims.
Raul Rosas Jr. via MMAFightingonSBN
However, he did pack out the Sphere at the very beginning of the event itself, with over 20,000 fans turning up to his fight. It did come off bizarre in the post-fight interview when he asked Dana White for a $50000 bonus after an average performance. In many other UFC events held before a full crowd, it’s common to see several empty seats early in the card.
However, that wasn’t the case at UFC 306, where fans were already in their seats for the opening fight of the early prelims. Rosas Jr. feels he played a significant role in that excitement, as he was tasked with kicking off the Mexican night’s festivities. White was full of praise for the 19-year-old despite his below-par victory.
Dana White is full of praise for Raul Rosas Jr. after UFC 306
Rosas Jr. did not get the finish he was hoping for at UFC 306 but he did have the crowd behind his back. The Mexican dreams of becoming the youngest-ever UFC champion, surpassing the feat of Jon Jones. However, he has a long and busy road ahead in the UFC if he plans to beat that record. With the featherweight and bantamweight divisions absolutely stacked, it would take a mammoth effort to clinch gold in a short period.
Dana White full of praise for 19-year-old UFC prospect Raul Rosas Jr. (via Imago)White however was full of praise for the 19-year-old who seems to rack up wins at a monumental pace. Rosas Jr. has previously mentioned he is ready for ranked opponents as he starts his climb to the top of the rankings. White can make this possible as he plans to push the kid to the right places to see what he is capable of.
He’s a great kid. We’ll keep doing what we do with a guy like. Keep building him and putting him in fights that you know hopefully push him and take him to another level and we’ll see what we can do. But he’s a good kid, he’s a tough kid. I like him.
Dana White via UFC Post fight presser
White having his back, could only propel him to the top and further show if he is really champion material or not. While his activity is no issue, having a few highlight-reel-worthy finishes at such a young age would do the kid wonders on his journey to becoming the youngest-ever UFC champion.
