Teenage prospect Raul Rosas Jr become the youngest fighter to win in the UFC as he won choked out Jay Perrin in the first round.
Rosas, 18, was signed to the UFC after an impressive win against Mando Gutierrez on the Contender Series in September. The high school student showed off his striking and submission skills to pick up a one-sided decision, with Dana White insisting he’d never seen a fighter like Rosas before following his win.
The Mexican started his fight against Perrin on the front foot and wowed the Las Vegas crowd by slamming his opponent to the mat in the opening exchange. Rosas was looking to secure a rear-naked choke as he took the back of Perrin but the American was defending well.
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Rosas was not giving up the choke despite Perrin getting back to his feet, desperately trying to break the Mexican's grip. Things went from bad to worse once for Perrin once the fight hit the mat again, as Rosas managed to get the choke under his chin and force him to tap out. In his post-fight interview, Rosas called for a $50,000 bonus so he can buy his mother a mini-van.
"I'm living the dream right now," Rosas said. "Dana [White], I need the $50,000 bonus so I can buy my mother a minivan and she can give me a ride to the PI [Performance Institute]. I knew I was going to be here at this age, I have no nerves and no pressure. I feel free and I love what I'm doing. Right now, I have introduced myself but I'm coming for that belt."
Rosas is not short on confidence as he told Mirror Fighting before making his UFC debut that he wants to be the first three-weight champion in the promotion. 'El Nino Problema' is confident he can win his first UFC title by the age of 20 and is targeting a move up to 145lb once he captures the bantamweight title.
"I feel comfortable fighting with anybody. I know I’ve still got to get better but even right now, if I was to fight the UFC champion, I know I would take him out. Not only win, but finish him. I keep getting better and better, but even at this level I can beat anybody," Rosas said.
