Athletes
Raul Rosas Jr. Has Plans For 2025
Bantamweight Prospect Maps Out Ambitions For The Year Ahead Prior to Mexico City Debut
An athlete’s prime is understandably the most talked about portion of their career; it’s the point where they are, in theory, at the peak of their powers, performing at the highest level they can attain, and — if they’re good enough — challenging for championships.
But just because Raul Rosas Jr. is anywhere from seven to 10 years away from reaching that point of his athletic career doesn’t mean that the talented bantamweight isn't at an exciting point in his journey as a mixed martial artist.
Rosas Jr., who makes his sixth UFC start this weekend opposite veteran Vince Morales, is still just 20 years old, an age where the ability to learn new things, synthesize information, and grow by leaps and bounds between each fight is at its highest. While his sights remain set on breaking Jon Jones’ record for being the youngest champion in UFC history, he still has several years left in order to achieve that goal, and the improvements he could very likely make between each appearance is a big part of why the Dana White’s Contender Series grad is the first fighter to target that achievement that feels like he has a realistic chance of making it happen.
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“I feel much better,” Rosas Jr. said on Wednesday evening when asked about his development and improvement since squaring off with Aoriqileng at UFC 306 last September. “I feel like every day gets better, so six months gave me a lot of time to improve on every single aspect of my game.
“My control gets better, my wrestling gets better, my grappling, my striking; I just become a more dangerous fighter, and more expert in all the little positions. That six months was time for me to improve and get better for my next fight.”
Because of the attention he received heading into and coming out of his successful appearance on Season 6 of the Contender Series and the opportunities he’s had since transitioning to the UFC roster, it feels like there is a tendency to grade Rosas Jr. on a bit of a curve. Fans and media members equate attention with skill, and those opportunities come with expectations, leading to quality efforts being viewed as lesser than anticipated because the bar has been set incredibly high for the talented, but still improving, prospect.
After earning finishes in each of his first three UFC wins, Rosas Jr. went the distance with Aoriqileng last time out, earning a unanimous decision win with scores of 29-28 across the board, with all three judges giving him the first and third rounds.
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Under normal circumstances, a young fighter figuring out how to secure a victory in a bout deadlocked at one round each heading into the final stanza against an opponent more than 10 years his senior and brandishing 38 professional MMA appearances would be seen as a major triumph for the up-and-coming talent.
But folks expected more from Rosas Jr., resulting in the important victory being presented as “not quite good enough” by those that carried unreasonable expectations of him into that contest.
Thankfully, the young man that garnered the win recognizes how meaningful that effort was and remains even keeled in the pursuit of his goals inside the Octagon.
“I felt good, going three rounds, getting that experience against another veteran in Aoriqileng,” he said when asked about the fight. “He was a tough guy. He had his dangerous places, so it was dope to go out there, solve the puzzle, and execute the game plan. I learned a lot from that fight, still, and got better.”
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Since then, “El Niño Problema” has been working to use his six-month gap between appearances to improve as much as he can in every facet of the sport, linking up with various coaches and training partners to help in those efforts.
“I did a lot of camp with Anthony Njokuani and Chidi Njokuani,” began Rosas Jr., explaining who he’s been working with in the time between his bout at Noche UFC last fall and Saturday’s main card clash with Morales. “A lot of boxing off camp with Eddy Reynoso and at other places in El Paso, Texas. A lot of grappling and rounds training with “Cobrinha” (Rubens Charles Maciel) and Kennedy Maciel, and, at the end, training with my father and my brothers.
“It’s been a pretty nice camp,” he added. “I feel like I’ve learned and grown a lot, so I’m excited to show my new skill set.”
A showman by nature, the talented 20-year-old would be excited to showcase the things he’s learned no matter the situation, but the fact that it comes at Arena CDMX on Saturday night brings Rosas Jr. even more joy.
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“It means a lot,” he said when asked about competing in Mexico City for the first time in his career, his smile engulfing the lower half of his face. “Every fight means everything to me, because it (represents) all the hard work that I’ve been putting in.
“Obviously, this is a special moment and just getting to do it in front of all my Mexican family is a plus. I’m blessed to be here for this opportunity — no injuries happened, so I’m ready to go.”
The pairing with Morales is a somewhat surprising one, as while Rosas Jr. arrives on a three-fight winning streak, the 34-year-old veteran has landed on the wrong side of the cards in each of his two appearances since returning to the promotion last fall in Paris.
That being said, Morales, like most competitors in the bantamweight division, boasts a significant experience advantage over his counterpart on Saturday, and has shared the Octagon with a host of current or formerly ranked fighters in the 135-pound weight class, including Song Yadong, Aiemann Zahabi, and Chris Gutierrez.
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As much as this looks like a favorable pairing on paper, Rosas Jr. doesn’t want to just go out there and collect another win on the scorecards. He has goals for 2025 that he wants to achieve, and he knows the key to making that happen is to put on a show against Morales on Saturday night.
“God willing, I’m trying to stay active, so hopefully I come out without any injuries and I can return as soon as possible,” Rosas Jr. began when asked how he’d like to see the remainder of his year line up following this weekend’s fight card. “Getting ranked this year — whether it’s my next fight or after this fight; hopefully that happens, and that puts me in a good position to keep chasing the dreams that I have.
“But right now, we’re just focused on Saturday, so I just want to go out there, have a nice performance, get a nice ‘dub,’ come out without any injuries, and stay active.
“Just a nice finish — whether it’s by knockout or submission; a clean performance,” he said in regards to what he needs to do against Morales in order to move closer to reaching those 2025 goals. “I’m excited to go out there and make it look easy.
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“He is a tough opponent, he is a veteran, and I’m looking forward to making it look easy.”
And after that…
“It’s going to be amazing to celebrate with my family,” he said. “And the fights end early this time, so I’m excited to go out there and celebrate.”
UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs Erceg took place live from Arena CDMX in Mexico City on March 29, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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