“There’s something special about fighting that I still haven’t been able to figure out,” he said. “This is what I love to do, and one thing I take a lot of pride in is being a disciplined, dedicated fighter.”
Rosa, 35, has never missed weight, and when he shows up to fight, it’s to do just that – fight. They haven’t always gone his way, but one Performance of the Night and three Fight of the Night bonuses don’t lie. And if he can spoil Wood’s move from bantamweight to featherweight, it may just be the spark he needs to go achieve what he started this whole journey to do.
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“I know I’ve had a lot of fights and it’s been ups and downs – I win, I lose and all this stuff, but the truth is, I really feel like my skills are there,” Rosa said. “I know I have the skills to be a champion. Sometimes I feel like there’s a little bit of luck involved, and I think once I can get my groove and string two wins together, I think it’s gonna be my run to the title.”
A student of the game, Rosa cites fighters like Jorge Masvidal, Josh Emmett, Brandon Moreno and Charles Oliveira as examples of coming back from adversity to make a mark in the Octagon. Rosa is confident he can join that group, with the Octagon being the key part of the equation because he didn’t do all this to just get those three letters on his gloves or be a champion somewhere else.
“It makes me feel good that I made it, but I’ve got high expectations for myself,” he said. “I didn’t just want to fight in the UFC. I want to be the champion.”
