Raul Rosas Jr. says two or three more fights could get him a UFC title shot
Rosas turns 22 on 8 October and says the Barcelos fight was all or nothing for his bid to beat Jon Jones's record as the UFC's youngest champion: "If I lost this fight, the dream is done."
Raul Rosas Jr. says his fight with Raoni Barcelos was all or nothing for his bid to become the youngest champion in UFC history.
Rosas turns 22 on 8 October. Jon Jones holds the record, having won the light heavyweight title at 23 when he beat Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 128 in March 2011. Asked on The Ariel Helwani Show whether the record is attainable, Rosas said: "Yeah, I feel like it's attainable, obviously. That's why in this fight, it was all or nothing. If I lost this fight, the dream is done. So I knew I had to win this fight."
He knocked out Barcelos in the fifth round of the UFC Vegas 121 main event, after, he says, hurting his hand in the second. Rosas said he chose the main event over another option. "I had the option to even fight in LA or be main event, and I chose main event because... I just want to make history and I want to get used to the five rounds," he said. "I'm looking at the bigger picture... Let me get that experience right now."
On a title shot, he said: "I don't know, to be honest, but I do got a good shot. I think my next fight is probably going to be a pretty good name. Obviously, the fights are not going to get any easier than Saturday... I like to focus step by step because every opponent on the way is tough. But I think two or three more fights can get me up there."
Rosas also said he bought his parents a newly built house and surprised his mother with it on her birthday, with mariachis. "She loves mariachis," he said. "I just brought her over here and just told her, this is yours." Only his brother knew about it, he said.
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Reported by the Combat Sports UK desk. Times are UK and Irish time, and we update the report when the facts change. How we work.