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This week’s edition of Dana White’s Contender Series saw 17-year old Raul Rosas Jr. awarded with a UFC contract. If he makes his debut in the near future, he’ll become the youngest fighter in UFC history.
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Over the years, a number of fighters have debuted in the UFC at a young age, with some going onto huge success and others not so much.
Which way will Raul Rosas Jr. go? Only time will tell, but at just 17 years old, it’s clear he’s got plenty of time to make an impact in the UFC. If nothing else, he’s got big footsteps to follow in.
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Here are the five youngest fighters in UFC history.
#5. Nick Diaz – age at UFC debut: 20 years, 55 days
While his storied career is reaching its end at this point, it’s fair to say that Nick Diaz is a true veteran of MMA. It seems hard to believe now, but the Stockton-based welterweight made his UFC debut way back in September 2003, at the age of just 20.
At that point, Diaz already had plenty of experience in the sport. He’d debuted professionally at the age of 18, and managed to defeat the far more seasoned Chris Lytle – a future UFC contender in his own right – in just his second bout.
By the time he made his way to the octagon, Diaz held an impressive record of 7-2. He extended this record to 8-2 when he submitted Jeremy Jackson in his first bout with the promotion, winning their trilogy in the process.
When Diaz knocked out fellow young gun Robbie Lawler in his second bout in the octagon, it felt like he was a surefire future title contender. Despite catching on as a fan favourite, a series of tight losses to the likes of Diego Sanchez and Joe Riggs saw him depart the UFC in 2006.
From there, Diaz became a nomad of sorts, but lost just one of his next 13 fights, becoming one of the hottest fighters on the planet in the process. His wins over the likes of Frank Shamrock and Paul Daley made fans desperate to see him return to the octagon, which he did in 2011 with a win over BJ Penn.
Since then, Diaz has only fought on a handful of occasions, and has not won another fight in the octagon. Despite this, he remains one of MMA’s most recognizable stars, and it’s hard to claim that he didn’t reach his massive potential.
#4. Robbie Lawler – age at UFC debut: 20 years, 51 days
When Robbie Lawler burst onto the UFC scene as a 20-year old in 2002, it was hard not to be excited. ‘Ruthless’ trained with one of MMA’s best camps – Miletich Fighting Systems – but unlike the majority of their fighters, he wasn’t primarily a wrestler.
Instead, Lawler came into the octagon to take his opponents’ heads off. When he reeled off three straight wins in the promotion, two via nasty knockout, a star was born.
Unfortunately, success came almost too quickly for Lawler. In his fourth fight in the octagon – a pay-per-view co-headliner against experienced kickboxer Pete Spratt – his wild ways were exposed somewhat and he suffered his first career loss.
From there, Lawler’s career spiraled down somewhat, and he ended up leaving the promotion in 2004 after losing a further two fights.
Like his rival Nick Diaz, though, ‘Ruthless’ rebuilt himself on the smaller circuit, winning titles in promotions like Elite XC and Icon Sport before finally returning to the UFC via their buyout of StrikeForce in 2013.
Few fans expected Lawler to make an impact. Instead, he stunned everyone by cutting a path of destruction through the welterweight division, beating the likes of Josh Koscheck, Matt Brown and Jake Ellenberger en route to dethroning Johny Hendricks for the welterweight title in 2014.
‘Ruthless’ made two successful title defenses, beating Rory MacDonald and Carlos Condit in all-time classic brawls before losing it to Tyron Woodley. While he’s struggled since, it’s fair to say that when his career ends, he’ll be a surefire contender for a Hall of Fame spot.
#3. Vitor Belfort – age at UFC debut: 19 years, 312 days
One of the few UFC fighters to have competed in the octagon in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s, Vitor Belfort first stepped into the promotion as a 19-year old way back in 1997.
At that point, MMA was still in its infancy. When ‘The Phenom’, who was supposedly renowned for his Gracie jiu-jitsu, began to destroy his opponents with his remarkably fast hands, it was hard for fans not to believe that they were watching perhaps the greatest fighter of all time.
That idea was smashed when Randy Couture weathered an early storm to defeat the Brazilian in his fifth professional bout. From there, ‘The Phenom’ saw his career lurch from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows at times.
Belfort was still capable of utterly destroying his opponents, as Wanderlei Silva found out in 1998, but he could also produce highly disappointing showings. This led to a short period outside the UFC in the mid-2000s after he briefly held the light heavyweight title.
It’s arguable that ‘The Phenom’ produced his best run in the octagon when he returned there in 2009. He destroyed top fighters like Dan Henderson, Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold and challenged unsuccessfully for both the middleweight and light heavyweight titles.
His storied career only ended in 2018 with a loss to Lyoto Machida, over 20 years after his initial debut. Whether his longevity was increased by the use of testosterone replacement therapy – something that’s now banned – is up for debate, but it’s fair to say that for the most part, he lived up to his potential.
#2. Sage Northcutt – age at UFC debut: 19 years, 216 days
Prior to the advent of Dana White’s Contender Series and during a downturn for The Ultimate Fighter reality show, the UFC looked to a different kind of show to unearth new talent.
Lookin’ For A Fight saw White, along with Matt Serra and Nick ‘The Tooth’ travel around the US to watch various regional shows and experience various local cuisines. While the show didn’t really find too many hot prospects, it seemed to strike gold with Sage Northcutt.
Signed by the UFC at the age of 19, Northcutt literally looked like a cartoon character, with a muscular, shredded physique and model-like good looks. More to the point, ‘Super Sage’ was remarkably well-spoken and had been competing in traditional martial arts since he was a small child.
Unsurprisingly, the promotion decided to push him as a major attraction right away, and he quickly dispatched his first two foes in impressive fashion.
However, when it emerged that he was being paid far more than most prospects were making, hardcore fans largely turned on him in a backlash of sorts. The bad feeling only increased when he suffered his first loss at the hands of Bryan Barberena.
With his hype train largely off the rails, Northcutt flew under the radar a little more over the next couple of years, despite his octagon record of 4-1 after the Barberena loss being solid.
Before he could really develop fully, though, he decided to leave the UFC when the promotion wouldn’t meet his contractual demands. Instead, ‘Super Sage’ headed to ONE Championship, where he’s since fought just once in a knockout loss.
With no further fights to his name since 2019, the idea of him reaching his huge potential now seems highly doubtful.
#1. Dan Lauzon – age at UFC debut: 18 years, 198 days
When lightweight prospect Joe Lauzon debuted in the UFC in late 2006 with a stunning knockout of former titleholder Jens Pulver, the MMA world was largely stunned.
While ‘J-Lau’ went onto a lengthy and respectable career with the promotion, the same could not be said for his younger brother Dan – who debuted less than a month after Joe with much more fanfare.
That fanfare was understandable, as ‘The Upgrade’ was just 18 years old when he took a late-notice fight with veteran Spencer Fisher, making him the youngest fighter to ever set foot inside the octagon.
Lauzon did well for himself in the fight, taking Fisher down, taking his back and threatening him with a rear-naked choke. Eventually, he gassed out and ‘The King’ used his experience to take over, punishing ‘The Upgrade’ and finishing him with ground-and-pound.
Quite why Lauzon wasn’t kept on by the UFC after his strong showing remains a mystery. He headed back to the regional scene and reeled off a record of 8-1 before returning to the octagon in 2010.
His second run, though, was even less successful than his first. He suffered back-to-back losses to Cole Miller and Efrain Escudero, and even found himself kicked out of his training camp due to a reported lack of commitment.
‘The Upgrade’ then returned to the regional scene, where he continued to compete until 2015, winning five of his final seven bouts. Still only 34 years old, it now appears that Lauzon is retired. While he still holds a spot in the UFC’s record books, he is only a footnote in the promotion’s history.
