Dana White backed one of the promotion’s young prospects, Raul Rosas Jr., after he suffered his first professional MMA loss.
Raul Rosas Jr. and Christian Rodriguez fought on April 8 as part of UFC 287’s main card, which also featured Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira 2 as the main event and Jorge Masvidal vs Gilbert Burns as the co-main event.
Christian Rodriguez gets it done! 👊@ceerod97 hands Raul Rosas Jr. his first career loss at #UFC287! pic.twitter.com/cmV9CkbirH
— UFC (@ufc) April 9, 2023
What did Dana White have to say about Raul Rosas Jr.?
In the post-fight press conference for UFC 287, the UFC president addressed all the concerns about the next UFC events. Dana also brought up Raul, particularly the fact that it was the boy’s first defeat.
“It happens. He’s a young kid. I had that two rounds to one. He’s got a lot of growing to do. He’s got a lot of work to do. People love him. This isn’t as damaging to him. Nobody really goes undefeated in this sport. It’s very, very hard to do.” Dana said.
Raul Rosas Jr. is oozing with confidence ahead of #UFC287 😤 pic.twitter.com/XnA1Wzsib3
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 5, 2023
The fighter from Santa Rosa made his UFC debut only last year at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. El Nio Problema got off to a strong start in his Ultimate Fighting Championship career by defeating Jay Perrin in UFC 282 with a rear naked choke. However it seems that the Californian just needed four months to see the other side of the MMA world.
” He’s just got to get back on the horse and keep going. There’s a thing between 18-year old strength and 25-year old man strength, and the other kid was a really good grappler. This kid has a ton of room to grow. (UFC 287) was a good experience for him, and that’s what this sport is all about.” Dana added.
Raul Rosas Jr claims he'll be champion in 2 years.
Confident? or Delusion? pic.twitter.com/EB9eNLIBgZ— David 💎🥊 (@UFCDavidD) April 7, 2023
If there’s one thing to know about Dana White, it’s that the MMA guru won’t sign someone up if he doesn’t think they have a great deal of potential. The 18-year-old fighter, who advanced through Dana White’s Contender Series, will undoubtedly demonstrate his abilities once more and has a chance to become the youngest champion in UFC history.
Fight Week vibes courtesy of Raul Rosas Jr 🤝
The youngest winner in UFC history is back in action Saturday at #UFC287! pic.twitter.com/NZ4Ma0z2mm
— UFC (@ufc) April 3, 2023
What do you think about Raul Rosas Jr. eventually winning the bantamweight title? It is a long way to go for the kid but you can share your thoughts with us in the comment section.
