Fight Coverage
Raul Rosas Jr. | Five Fights To Watch Before UFC 326
Rising Bantamweight Star Faces First Top 15 Test This Saturday At UFC 326: Holloway vs Oliveira 2
The youngest-ever athlete to compete in the UFC makes his return to the Octagon this Saturday, looking to crack into the bantamweight Top 15 at UFC 326: Holloway vs Oliveira 2.
Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Raul Rosas Jr. earned his rightful place on the world’s biggest stage following an ultra-impressive performance on the Tuesday night showcase at 17 years old.
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Six fights later, the now 21-year-old is slated for a 3-round bout against No. 13 ranked Rob Font on Saturday’s Paramount+ main card. Here are five fights to watch before his return to the Octagon in Las Vegas:
Where It All Began - vs Mando Gutierrez
Rosas Jr. introduced himself to the MMA world in September of 2022, when he appeared on Season 6 of DWCS. As soon as the fight began, Rosas Jr. made it clear he wasn’t any ordinary teenager. Instead of finding his footing on a new canvas, Rosas Jr. went on the attack immediately, charging at his opponent, Mando Gutierrez.
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In the opening minute of the bout, Rosas Jr. had already landed a spinning kick to the head and secured a takedown. Rosas Jr. finished the first with complete control on the ground and followed a similar pattern in rounds two and three, dominating Gutierrez to earn a unanimous decision victory and UFC contract.
Maximizing The Debut – vs Jay Perrin
Three months after signing his name on the dotted line, Rosas Jr. made his UFC debut in UFC 282’s featured prelim. After 25 seconds, the Clovis, New Mexico-native was in on a takedown and slamming Perrin down to the mat.
WATCH: Raul Rosas Jr. Fight Week Interview | UFC 326
Rosas Jr. took his back effortlessly with four minutes to work for a submission. Perrin found his way back to his feet, but Rosas Jr. stayed glued to his back, constantly hunting a rear-naked choke. About halfway through the round, Rosas Jr. slipped an arm across Perrin’s jaw and locked in a face crank to force a quick tap.
No Submission Needed – vs Terrance Mitchell
Every fight starts the same for “El Niño Problema,” with his foot firmly on the gas. But something was different this time around. Of course, Rosas Jr. had thrown a variety of strikes in those previous two outings, but there was some extra sting behind his shots when he met Terrance Mitchell at Noche UFC.
READ: Raul Rosas Jr. Is Excited For His Biggest Test
Both men started throwing heat as soon as the fight began, with Rosas Jr. connecting on a few clean shots in the opening exchange. After a flurry of strikes up against the fence, the two met in the center of the Octagon, where Rosas Jr. landed a thunderous left hand that sent Mitchell crashing to the canvas. He jumped on his prey and closed the show with a series of ground-and-pound strikes to earn the second TKO of his career.
Back To Basics – vs Ricky Turcios
After his electrifying, sub-one-minute finish of Mitchell, Rosas Jr. ran into early trouble against The Ultimate Fighter Season 29 winner Ricky Turcios. The first half of the opening round looked like most of Rosas Jr.’s fights, with him fully locked onto his opponent on the cusp of a submission. But Turcios defended well and ultimately reversed position to latch onto Rosas Jr.’s back and nearly sink in a rear-naked choke of his own.
RAUL ROSAS JR. DWCS NEXT LEVEL: Part 1 | Part 2
Rosas Jr. defended well and made it back to the stool for Round 2, which started just like the first, with the Las Vegas-based bantamweight controlling Turcios on the ground. This time, however, Rosas Jr. never let him out of his grasp before finding his third rear-naked choke submission of his professional career.
Grappling Masterclass – vs Vince Morales
Last time out at UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs Erceg, Rosas Jr. continued to prove his grappling is as elite as it comes in the bantamweight division. “El Niño Problema” pitched a shutout through the opening frame, out landing Vince Morales 11-0 in significant strikes while amassing over 3-and-a-half minutes of control time.
The latter two rounds were much of the same, with Morales starting to land more frequently before succumbing to the human backpack that is Rosas Jr.
After 15 minutes of action, Rosas Jr. collected his 11th pro win, setting up his first Top 15 test against Rob Font this Saturday at UFC 326: Holloway vs Oliveira 2.
UFC 326: Holloway vs Oliveira 2 took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 7, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!