17-year-old Raul Rosas officially became the youngest athlete to sign with the UFC following his victory against Mando Gutierrez. Occurring this past Tuesday, September 20, 2022, the rising star put on an impressive performance on UFC President Dana White’s popular Hulu show, Dana White’s Contender Series – where White observes various young fighters to scout if any have the potential to succeed in the UFC. With this specific win, Rosas has clearly entered the limelight by gaining his unanimous decision win, along with the attention of the organization’s fans and its president.
“I have never seen anything like it,” White stated in regards to the age difference between Rosas (17) and Gutierrez (25). “Not only that, the number of fighters blowing me up saying ‘you are crazy not to’ (sign him)… He is absolutely, positively talented. He is special, he is different,” White added.
The Mexican-born fighter went on to express his feelings about his current situation: “I knew I was going to get that contract. I have been saying it since the beginning. Since I was born, I knew this was going to happen,” Rosas claimed. “Everybody shouldn’t be surprised. I am the new king here, so I am coming for that belt now… I am going to be the champion when I am 20. Respect to everybody, but I am going to be a champion when I am 20, or even earlier. Nobody is going to stop me.” As Rosas confidently boosts himself to the next level of his career, fans are itching to see what the talent has in store for the UFC.