It’s age and experience versus youthful exuberance as a whopping 17
years separates these two bantamweights. Font (22-9, 12-8 UFC), age
38, is not planning on going gentle into that good night. He aims
to defuse the surging 21-year-old Rosas Jr. (11-1, 5-1 UFC), who
has picked up four victories in a row. The third man in the Octagon
bearing witness to this possible torch-passing affair is referee
Jason Herzog. Gloves are not touched. Font approaches with a low stance, parrying a quick one-two from
the youngster as he works his way forward. Font reaches out with
two lunging right hands, both of which miss the mark as he looks
for a way in. Rosas kicks his lead leg, with Font placing most of
his weight on his lead leg with his heavy stance. Font kicks his
foe back much harder, and he swats away a looping punch aimed his
way. Rosas misses with a front kick and one aimed at the calf, and
he is well out of the way when Font tosses out a right hand at him.
Font hand-fights and switches stances to work his way in, jabbing
the younger man right on the nose. Font catches a leg kick and
whiffs on a hook, and he swings again but hits air with his heavy
right. The Massachusetts native catches a leg kick and forces Rosas
to tumble and somersault away, who recovers and gets back to
striking range. Font clips his opponent but gets tagged on the way
out, and he rips a few punches to the body and clubs Rosas on the
side of the dome. Font doubles up on his jab and loops a left hand up top, and Rosas
answers with a simple single and puts Font on his seat. Font uses
butterfly hooks to frame off, threatening with an omoplata shoulder
lock and fighting his way back to his feet. Rosas hits a mat return
fairly easily, and Font gets away with fence grabs but is still
deposited to the floor. Rosas takes Font for a ride when he throws
him to the mat, and he counters a Font roll escape by keeping his
hands clasped around Font’s waist. Font manages to get up each
time, but he is controlled from behind by the younger man. The
round ends. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Font Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Font Dayne Fox scores the round: 10-9 Font

Font is quick to put the pressure back on his opponent, keeping his
guard up to clock the swiping swings aimed at his head. Font sees a
takedown is coming but is unable to defend it, instead hitting the
ground and scrambling to reverse the position. Font is turned to
his back again, and he sets up a triangle choke that is not very
close. Rosas pushes through the submission setup, and Font hangs on
with rubber guard by holding his left leg up and behind Rosas’
neck. In the process, he keeps Rosas stuck on top of him, but he is
not absorbing any damage while doing so. Font pushes to a knee, and Rosas circles around to take his back
and drag him to the floor. The moment Font is about to escape,
Rosas turns him about and puts him on his back once more. Font
manages to get out for a second, but Rosas doggedly pursues control
positions and reassumes top control, all while pushing away any
possible triangle set up from Font. Font then isolates his
opponent’s right arm in hopes of utilizing a kimura sweep, and the
youngster gets his arm out of danger and stays smothering on top.
Rosas postures up to land a punch or two, but they are few and far
between as Font is relatively active off his back. The
grapple-heavy round wraps. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Rosas Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Rosas Dayne Fox scores the round: 10-9 Rosas

Font leads off the round with a reaching right hand that is out of
range, and he walks the younger man down. Font chases after Rosas
swinging his right hook, and Rosas ducks and dodges to counter him.
Font catches Rosas with a single right, and he takes a few punches
in response as well as a front kick. The Massachusetts native
overswings and smacks Rosas with an uppercut, but he puts himself
in close proximity to get taken down with ease. Rosas is thrilled
to be able to reestablish himself on top, and he slowly asserts
himself to the partial mount position as he laces his legs around
Font’s. Font turns to his side in hopes of crawling away, and he
reaches his knees while Rosas has his arms wrapped around him.
Rosas dumps Font on his face, and he takes his back for a second
but circles around to get into a controlling half guard
posture. The moment Rosas starts to attack, Font is escaping, doing so to
stand back up. Rosas muscles him right back down, climbing over to
three-quarter mount when Font turns to his back. It is lather,
rinse and repeat for the controlling grind of takedowns for Rosas,
who is tossing the veteran around even if he does not inflict much
damage. Boos rain down as Rosas grapples away, shrugging off Font’s
escape efforts to ragdoll him. Font rolls for a kneebar with
seconds to spare, but there is nothing to it and Rosas ends the
fight on top. It was not a very violent engagement, but there is
likely a new contender at 135 pounds. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Rosas (29-28 Rosas) Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Rosas (29-28 Rosas) Dayne Fox scores the round: 10-9 Rosas (29-28 Rosas)

As he will likely encounter while literally growing up with the
UFC, Rosas Jr. (10-1, 4-1 UFC) faces a foe tonight 14 years his
senior. The promotion teed up Morales (16-9, 3-7 UFC), a fighter
who has only won three times in 10 UFC appearances thus far, to
serve as fodder for the youngster. The best-laid plans of mice and
matchmakers often go awry, and there is no such thing as a “sure
thing” in this chaotic sport of ours. The bantamweight come
together under the watchful eye of referee Mike Beltran and do not
touch gloves. Morales takes to the enter of the cage and paws out a
jab, and he is met with a front kick to the body and a shin aimed
at his chin. Rosas kicks his front leg a couple times, and he
shoots for a takedown that Morales easily shucks out of the way.
Rosas sprints forward to put two punches on “Vandetta,” and he
chains a few more punches together before lifting Morales up in the
air and slamming him down in the middle of the Octagon. Rosas lands
in side control, not concerned about a feeble guillotine set up by
Morales and suddenly searching for a submission. Morales reacts
well enough to drag Rosas back to his guard for a second, and Rosas
leaps over to the side again. Morales fights with his legs to
stifle a mount attempt, and he wraps up Rosas neck with his arms
and finds himself in Von Preux choke danger. Morales sees this
setting up and releases his own grip to not fall in the trap. Rosas
keeps moving, and he allows Morales to get to his knees so he can
take the back. Rosas sneaks in a hook and pulls Morales to his
side, with Morales intent on turning him about. Rosas forces
Morales to turn, not getting his other hook in, and he keeps on the
back while continuously threatening. Morales sits up and looks to
twist again, and Rosas hooks one leg around him to keep maintaining
his position. Morales breaks out of it and pursues a single, and
Rosas keeps his body weight down and slams his fist on Morales’
ribs. Morales turns Rosas over and holds his shoulder down on
Rosas’ neck, looking for open strikes until Rosas turns to his
knees. Morales pursues a necktie submission, gripping it and
leaning back to complete it, but time expires before he gets
it. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Rosas Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Rosas Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Rosas

Morales comes out of his corner jabbing, and Rosas has his
distance-keeping front kick outstretched. Rosas jabs him back, and
he walks into a right hand and pays it no mind. Morales loops a
right hand around the guard, and he is answered by a low kick.
Rosas comes up short with a step-in knee and a punch, while Morales
prods him with his jab. Rosas wraps his foot around the shin of his
foe, and he gets his head snapped back with a fierce right hand.
Rosas backs off, and Morales slings a head kick at him and starts
to defend against a takedown he is knows is coming. Still, the
youngster presses Morales from one side of the cage to the other,
resting his weight on the veteran and looking for a body lock and a
trip when the single or double does not materialize. A subsequent
effort, a single-leg takedown, allows Rosas to take his man down.
Rosas hunts for a back take, sliding a hook in from behind but the
second is fought by Morales. Rosas re-settles himself to hang on
from a shoulder, and the two keep scrambling until Rosas laces his
legs around Morales’ left thigh. Morales rolls his eyes as he is
getting controlled without being able to fight back, as Rosas
follows his moves and threatens to loop his arm around the chin.
Morales defends with two hands on one wrist, and he posts off to
get to his feet all while Rosas is still imposing his weight on his
back. Morales shimmies and shakes to wrench the youngster off of
him, only to get dragged down and put on his back. Morales wags his
finger at the conclusion of the round. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Rosas Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Rosas Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Rosas

Morales is even more fired up to get to the last round, and he runs
at the 20-year-old flailing his fists. Rosas keeps his back to the
cage, strafing to the side and into a head kick. Rosas shoots, and
Morales sets up a Peruvian necktie and tries to hit it. When that
first one does not come together, Morales locks up an anaconda
choke and transitions it to a brabo choke while on his back.
Without any legs in play, hooked around Rosas’ back or otherwise
presenting additional pressure, Rosas is able to stay composed and
slowly work his way out of it. Rosas unleashes a powerful elbow
when reclaiming top position, and Morales tries to roll out of the
predicament and gives his back up. Rosas does not hang onto the
back this time and instead lets Morales roll through. Morales hooks
the leg to set up some leglock, and Rosas steps over it and puts
Morales back on his side. When Morales gets up, Rosas bullies him
right back to his seat. Morales is irritated that he cannot get
Rosas off of him, and he stands up and uses the fence to his side
to scrape Rosas off. Rosas shoots for a single, and Morales
attempts a desperation necktie. Rosas turns through it, and Morales
fastens a brabo choke again but does not have a lot of time left.
Rosas signals a thumbs-up as the choke is pressed on his windpipe,
and the match comes to an end. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Morales (29-28 Rosas) Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Morales (29-28 Rosas) Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Morales (29-28 Rosas)

It’s time for something new. It’s time for something different. Out
of the UFC Apex, and not even posted up in its standard haunt of
the T-Mobile Arena, instead the UFC is putting on a night of combat
inside of the vaulted Sphere in Las Vegas. While some have seen
snippets of previews, the occasional Twitter leak and some other
sneak peeks, this will be fresh to fans and media alike. We don’t
quite know what to expect, and that makes it exciting. This
10-fight showcase that celebrates Mexican fighters on Mexican
Independence Day—along with a spangly-haired kid from Montana
against a robot from Georgia, not to mention Saudi Arabia thrown in
for good measure—and as a result, Mexican combatants will be the
focus and betting favorites almost every step of the way. The
matchup of the evening will also serve as the one with the widest
betting lines, as grappling wunderkind Rosas Jr. (9-1, 3-1 UFC)
comes in with odds in his favor around -1000 against well-traveled
China export Aori (25-11, 1 NC; 3-3, 1 NC UFC). Although referee
Chris Tognoni signed up to officiate this event like any other,
even he is surprised at the spectacle unfolding around them. The
bantamweights touch gloves, and it’s time for something new. Rosas
lashes out first with a low kick, and he is warned for outstretched
fingers. He switches stances and kick Aori two more times on the
lead leg. Rosas goes to the body with a kick, and chants for
“chiwiwis” rain down in support of Rosas. Aori springs into action
with a lunging combination, and the Mexican youngster bats them out
of the way and circles off. Rosas whiffs on a pair of looping
shots, and he gets caught with a right hand and just misses on the
counter. Rosas attacks the front leg a few more times, and when he
stands still, Aori potshots him with a solid right hand. Rosas
jumps back and forth between stances, and he is once more warned
for his fingers pointing out. Rosas charges in from a distance to
go after a takedown, and after they bounce off the wall, he
succeeds in dragging the Chinese competitor down. Rosas opens up
with several loud body shots while Aori looks for sweeps and
butterfly hooks, but he elects instead to pass to half guard. Rosas
climbs over to side control, and he moves to mount in a hurry. Aori
times the guard pass to buck and sit up, but this only allows Rosas
to circle around him and take his back. Aori is warned for pulling
his toes in the cage as additional chants for “chiwiwis” loudly
call for Rosas. Rosas grips a brief face crank, but he bails on it
when the grip is not tight. As Aori turns to his side, Rosas
punches him in the side of the head a few times. With seconds to
spare, Rosas slides over to the mount position to rain down elbows,
and the horn sounds. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Rosas Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Rosas Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Rosas

The bantamweights touch ‘em up to get going, and Rosas opens up
with a kick or two before Aori surges at him with punches
outstretched. Aori reaches his foe with a right hand amidst an
exchange, and he hops away when Aori jumps at him with a knee.
Rosas paws with a few more low kicks, and one slides up and bumps
into the cup apparently. Aori waves it off, and he winds up with a
massive right hand that brushes past the hair of the youngster.
Rosas shoots for a takedown, and Aori tosses it aside. Aori jabs
his way in but misses on the overhand right, and he stops another
takedown effort coming his way. Rosas peppers the lead leg with
kicks, keeping to the outer edge to not allow Aori to reach him
with anything of significance. When Aori does connect, Rosas fires
back angrily. The warning comes for Rosas again for pointing his
fingers out, and Aori loads up on an overhand right to smash the
kid in the chops. Aori chambers and fires another big overhand
right, and Rosas wears it well and keeps moving and switching
stances. Aori goes for a right hand to the body, and he tries for
two more wide hooks. Rosas walks towards him and wants to brawl,
and Aori happily obliges him. Aori tags him during an exchange, and
he fights off a takedown up close. Aori stalks after the younger
fighter and flicks out a jab or two, and he goes to the body with a
right hand. Aori parries a kick and gives a loud one back to the
body, and the horn sounds. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Aori Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Rosas Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Aori

The fighters come together to hug it out before the last round
commences, with Rosas showing a little trickle of blood on his lip.
When they disengage, Aori is quick to pick up where he left off,
walking the 19-year-old down and kicking him in the ribs. To fire
up Rosas, the crowd chants “chiwiwis” again, and this results in
him charging in for a tackling takedown that puts Aori to his seat.
Aori wall-walks, and Rosas quickly mat returns him with a body
lock, landing in side control. Aori scrambles, and in the process,
he gives up his back when turning to his knees. Rosas reaches way
back to slam down knees to the shoulder, landing several until Aori
sells out by somersaulting. This forces “Mongolian Murderer” to his
back once more, with Rosas comfortably on top of him in the guard.
Rosas stays busy on top with ground-and-pound, more of the
frustrating variety than with anything individually damaging.
Tognoni asks for more activity from on top, and Rosas sits up to
fling one right hand down. It’s “chiwiwis” again for the audience,
but Rosas does not take any additional chances or let anything
special fly. At 19 years of age, the young Rosas has not let the
surroundings or his hype get the better of him, as he smothers the
power puncher and keeps him flat on his back. Rosas drops down an
elbow and a left hand, and Aori responds with an elbow from his
back. As seconds tick off the clock, both fighters swing at one
another, and the less-than-thrilling match comes to an end. Barring
something unusual, Mexico is on the board, and the audience may
hope that things spice up a bit. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Rosas (29-28 Rosas) Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Rosas (30-27 Rosas) Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Rosas (29-28 Rosas)

A giant age gap separates these next two competitors, although that
will be said for most of Rosas’ (8-1, 2-1 UFC) next few fights as
he has not even turned 20 yet. Once scheduled to fight in February,
the fight fell through when he succumbed to an illness on fight
day. Pushed back several months, he now meets “The Ultimate
Fighter” Season 29 winner Turcios (12-3, 2-1 UFC), who is ready for
the challenge that the youthful grappler presents. While there was
no bad blood before, the dragging out of their encounter has soured
Turcios, to the point that they do not touch gloves and Turcios
curses at him. Referee Blake Grice clocks them in, and Turcios
angrily attacks the youngster. Turcios lets loose a salvo of body,
low and head kicks, and Rosas blocks most of them. Turcios keeps
kicking until Rosas closes in on him and takes the fight down, and
Turcios hits his seat and immediately starts punching Rosas in the
side. The crowd starts chanting profanity towards Turcios, and the
commentary booth is bewildered by it. Rosas remains on top, not
letting loose with ground-and-pound or pursuing anything of note.
Turcios uses a butterfly guard to push off Rosas’ hips, but the
19-year-old is hanging on him like an ugly sweater. “Pretty Ricky”
gets back to his feet, and Rosas dumps him right on his head.
Turcios attempts to scramble, and Rosas keeps him grounded and
ignores the strikes to the side of his head. Turcios hacks at the
side of the head with elbows, and he explodes back to his feet.
Turcios grabs the fence to remain on his feet, and Rosas wrenches
him to the floor from behind despite the foul. Turcios turns Rosas
around and frees his hands to open up with punches. Turcios takes
his back and gets both hooks in, and he cinches up a rear-naked
choke and settles to squeeze on the youngster’s chin. Rosas fights
the hands while Turcios squeezes with all his might, and Rosas
toughs out the face crank and turns over to get on top. Turcios
scrambles madly, and Rosas takes his back and ends up sitting on
the side. Rosas wraps his legs around his foe’s waist, and Turcios
is stuck flailing from behind his head until the bell sounds. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Turcios Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Rosas Jr. Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Rosas Jr.

Rosas starts the round off kicking, rather than his opponent. Rosas
leaps at Turcios with a knee, and he manages to jump at him to
score a second flying knee so he can get up close and personal. “El
Nino Problema” succeeds in taking Turcios down, and Turcios defends
by hacking with elbows that are landing near the back of the head
and spine. Grice warns him of these infractions, and he apologizes
as they continue grappling. Rosas circles around to take the back,
and he grips a body triangle with his legs and hunts for a
rear-naked choke with his arms at the same time. The flailing
strikes from Turcios have cut open the youngster, but his scrambles
do not get anywhere. Turcios sits up to try to get away, and Rosas pulls him down twice
and secures the rear-naked choke on top of the chin. Rosas cranks
with every bit of energy, and the forearm slides under the jaw to
make things academic, and it is only a matter of time at this
point. Turcios hand-fights to the best of his ability, but the
choke is locked down and there is nothing more he can do. Before he
goes to sleep, Turcios taps his fist a few times to officially
surrender, and Grice pulls them apart when seeing it. This is a huge feather in the cap for Rosas, who tries to squash
the hostility between them as soon as the fight is waved off by
hugging Turcios. “Pretty Ricky” needs a moment before
reciprocating, and they end up settling things between one another.
That makes eight finishes in nine wins for the 19-year-old, who
climbs on top of the cage to celebrate as the crowd showers him
with affection.

The match was canceled on Saturday night during the main card, due
to an illness suffered by Rosas Jr. This news was first announced
on the UFC broadcast.

Rosas Jr. (7-1, 1-1 UFC), who does not turn 19 until Oct. 8,
attempts to rebound from his first professional setback in this
bantamweight showcase at 135 pounds. Mitchell (14-3, 0-1 UFC) cut
his teeth on the Alaskan regional scene and remains an unproven
commodity at the top level of the sport. Mark Smith serves as the
referee. The two men wing wild ride hands at one another. Rosas
shows no fear moving forward. He sits down Mitchell with a counter left hook, swarms with
ground-and-pound, climbs to full mount, flattens out his
counterpart and nets the stoppage with unanswered
punches .

Of the 26 competitors on the lineup, just one missed weight:
Rodriguez (8-1, 1-1 UFC), who clocked in a pound heavy for his
bantamweight meeting with surging youngster Rosas (7-0, 1-0 UFC).
Rosas will be looking for his second UFC win before his 19th
birthday, while the relatively elderly Rodriguez at 25 is also
hunting for win no. 2 in the promotion. Grappling should be on
display for this catchweight affair, one that will be joined in the
cage by referee Keith Peterson. Nonsense has left the building,
while former President Donald Trump is sitting next to Dana White.
The fighters have no interest in touching gloves, and instead want
to get right down to business. Rosas sprints at his opponent for a
takedown, and Rodriguez easily stops it and gets pushed to the
wall. A second try from Rosas trips Rodriguez to the floor for a
moment, and he even lifts Rodriguez up in the air, but “CeeRod”
keeps himself upright and knees the body. Rosas drops down for a
single, and Rodriguez defends it by punching and elbowing Rosas in
the face. “El Nino Problema” whips Rodriguez down to the mat, and
he moves straight into half guard and shifts to side control. Rosas
snatches up a guillotine choke, and Rodriguez times this perfectly
to flip over him and gain dominant position. Rosas explodes back to
his feet before falling victim to a potential submission, and he
pushes Rodriguez up to the wire. Rosas clasps his hands around the
waist, and Rodriguez remains upright and has his mouthpiece knocked
out by a jump knee from his opponent. Rosas yanks Rodriguez down to
the floor, and Rodriguez stands up. Rosas jumps on his back and
hooks his legs around the waist for a body triangle, and he hunts
for a rear-naked choke. The forearm is not under the neck and is
more of a face crank, but Rodriguez grits it out and fights the
hands to stop the choke from succeeding. Rosas resets it and
secures the arm on the jaw, and he squeezes with all his might.
Rodriguez lowers himself to the floor, and he protects himself by
hand-fighting again. Rosas secures the body triangle again,
crushing down below the ribs, and Rodriguez attempts to turn over.
Rosas looks to switch for an armbar setup, but he bails on it to
hang on until the round ends. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Rosas Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Rosas Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Rosas

The two fighters meet in the middle, and Rosas instantly starts the
round by shooting for a single. Rodriguez bowls him over and pushes
the youngster to the mat. Briefly taking side control, Rodriguez
cannot keep him down and stands up. He greets Rosas with a knee and
an elbow, and Rosas holds on and drops down for a failed single.
Rodriguez pushes him off and steps back from a spinning back kick,
and he attacks another takedown and manages to take Rodriguez’ back
standing. The 18-year-old, who appears to be fading slightly, pulls
Rodriguez down to the floor momentarily. Rodriguez climbs back up
with the wall behind him, and he looks to grab Rosas’ leg from
behind his own. Rosas falls to his back, and he throws his legs up
for a potential inverted triangle setup. Rodriguez shrugs it off
and moves to north-south position, and he shifts over to half guard
and drops down an elbow. Rosas rolls and scrambles wildly, but
Rodriguez follows him every step of the way and winds up in side
control, elbowing the body. Rosas attempts to push off the wall
with his feet, and he rolls to his knees and gives up his back.
Rodriguez bullies Rosas down to the floor, and he locks up the body
triangle and gains possession of the back. Rosas turns over, and
Rodriguez slugs him in the side of the head a few times while
maintaining the body lock. Rodriguez sets up a rear-naked choke,
and he softens “El Nino Problema” up with his right hand. Rodriguez
maintains his leg grip tight as a drum, and he rides out the round
on the back. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Rodriguez Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Rodriguez Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Rodriguez

The final round kicks off, and this time, Rosas does not
frantically shoot for takedown. Rodriguez catches him with a right
hand, and he times a leaping Rosas with another overhand right. The
punches of Rodriguez slightly dislodge the youngster’s mouthpiece,
and he bears down on him and slugs him a few more times. Rosas
charges for a takedown, and he releases the grip when it fails.
Rodriguez stops it and stands up, and he meanders towards his
opponent and staves off another entry. Rosas leaps forward with a
left hand, and Rodriguez whiffs on a counter. The 18-year-old ends
up giving up his back when shooting in for a takedown, and
Rodriguez pummels him until throwing Rosas down to the ground and
claiming the mount position. The calm Rodriguez flattens his prey
out briefly, and he pounds on him with unblocked punches. Rodriguez
postures up and slowly, methodically beats on Rosas, who latches
onto his left arm with all his might. Rodriguez elbows behind the
ear, and he wraps up the body lock and takes the back. Rodriguez
plants his elbow on Rosas’ dome, and he considers a choke but
elects to keep punching Rosas. Rodriguez threatens with rear-naked
choke setups from both arms, and he looks to shift over to mount
but instead fastens his grip for a face crank. Rosas twists and
turns, but Rodriguez is wise to every move and smacks him around.
With 20 seconds to spare, Rodriguez releases his leg grip and
stands back up. Rodriguez eats a left hand and nails Rosas with a
few left hands of his own. The fight comes to a close, and the
undefeated record of the 18-year-old is about to go up in
smoke. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-8 Rodriguez (29-27 Rodriguez) Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-8 Rodriguez (29-27
Rodriguez) Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Rodriguez (29-28 Rodriguez)

A UFC record will break as soon as referee Herb Dean clocks these
fighters in, as Rosas Jr. (6-0, 0-0 UFC) will officially become the
youngest fighter to compete in the Octagon at the age of 18. The
high schooler meets New Englander Perrin (10-6, 0-2 UFC), who wants
to spoil the newcomer’s big day by recording his first win in the
UFC. The bantamweights opt not to touch gloves, and instead Rosas
rushes forward to slap a low kick. Perrin ignores it to reach the
18-year-old with a left hook, and he hops out of the way when Rosas
comes at him. Rosas eats a few more punches and shoots in for a
takedown, and he elects to lift Perrin all the way in the air to
try to put him down. Perrin keeps his balance, but Rosas redoubles
his effort and dumps him to the floor. In a flash, the youngster
takes the back of his opponent, and does not get scraped off when
Perrin leans him into the wall. Perrin looks to shake and buck him
off, but this is not meant to be, as Rosas secures the back control
with both hooks in and flattens Perrin out. Perrin defends when
Rosas goes after a rear-naked choke, but he cannot stop “El Nino
Problema” from locking in a body triangle. Perrin stands straight
up and leans with his back to the cage, and Rosas does not stop
attacking the neck. The choking arm does not slide under the chin, but Rosas does not
care, as Perrin drops to his knees. The 18-year-old squeezes with
all his might on the face, and Perrin leans down to bounce his head
off the mat, and he frantically taps out to what looks like a face
crank before the forearm can even sink under the chin. After the fight concludes, Perrin goes to squash the beef that had
developed between the two, and Rosas is happy to accept to oblige.
Rosas is now the youngest victor in UFC history, putting on a
practically flawless performance to get a tap a little after the
midpoint of the first round. In his post-fight interview, Rosas
calls for UFC head Dana White to give him a post-fight bonus so
that he can buy his mother a minivan so she can drive him to
training.

Raul Rosas Jr.

Fight History

Fighter Skills Radar

Key Insights

Striking Profile

Key Insights

Grappling Profile

Key Insights

Conclusions Summary