The youngest fighter ever signed by the UFC makes his promotional debut on Saturday, as Rosas Jr. steps in opposite Jay Perrin on the televised prelims.
Inked to a deal following a hard-fought win on Dana White’s Contender Series this fall, the 18-year-old Mexican bantamweight is 6-0 for his career and doesn’t look out of place inside the cage by any stretch. He’s massive for the division at five-foot-nine, with a wide frame and solid reach, all of which help make up for the fact that he’s still three years away from being allowed to legally drink in the United States.
Like several young talents to hit the Octagon at an early age, Rosas Jr. has expressed his desire to break Jon Jones’ record for being the youngest champion in UFC history, and he’ll have plenty of time to work in order to accomplish that task. He turned 18 at the start of October, meaning he’s got more than five years to claim gold in order to get in under the record set by Jones of 23 years, 242 days.
UFC 282 EMBEDDED: Episode 1
For those wanting to keep track at home, the official deadline date is June 6, 2028; it’s a Tuesday.
Before he can break Jones’ record, he needs to break into the UFC win column, and Perrin stands in the way of that this weekend.
“The Joker” has dropped consecutive decisions in his first two UFC appearances, but looked much better in his second start against Aoriqileng than he did his short-notice debut opposite Mario Bautista, where he still had some positive moments. Perrin is the most experienced fighter Rosas Jr. has faced to date, and will surely look to leverage that against the new arrival.
Thus far, Rosas Jr. has handled everything that has been thrown at him with aplomb, and it will be interesting to see if that carries over to this weekend, when he makes the walk to the Octagon for the first time. Should he keep navigating these waters calmly and successfully while improving as a fighter each time out, he just might be the first competitor with designs on breaking Jones’ record that could have a shot at accomplishing the feat.
With more than five years to get the job done, it’s certainly worth watching.
