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Highly-touted UFC prospect Raul Rosas Jr. has lately been working towards his much-awaited comeback. The Mexican-American MMA stalwart made history in December 2022, becoming the youngest fighter to ever compete in the UFC.
Rosas Jr. fought on the Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS) event as a 17-year-old. Soon after his 18th birthday, Rosas Jr. made his UFC main roster debut at UFC 282 (December 2022), defeating Jay Perrin via first-round submission in a bantamweight bout.
However, in his very next fight, which also happens to be his most recent one, Rosas Jr. suffered the first defeat of his professional MMA career. The young fighter faced Christian Rodriguez at UFC 287 in April of this year and was outworked en route to a unanimous decision defeat.
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In his latest interview with MMA Junkie, Rosas Jr. has suggested that he recently spent a month in Kyrgyzstan. The Central Asian country is known to have produced several highly-skilled combat sportspersons, including former UFC women's flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko.
Raul Rosas Jr. explained that he reunited with his old wrestling coach and trained for a month in Kyrgyzstan. Rosas Jr. stated:
"So, I just went back to my wrestling coach. He's from Russia, but we met in Kyrgyzstan. Because like, I don't know, I didn't know any wrestling. The only wrestling I knew I learned in a month. So, I knew he was really good because all the wrestling I know I learned in a month, thanks to him. So, we went back and trained for another month. And he helped us improve in a lot of positions that I could have done better for my last fight and just in general. So, I feel great about it."
Watch Rosas Jr. discuss the topic at 3:41 in the interview below:
What's next for UFC bantamweight Raul Rosas Jr.?
Raul Rosas Jr. boasts a professional MMA record of seven victories and one defeat. Many in the MMA community have hailed the 19-year-old as an incredible talent and someone who could potentially go on to capture a UFC world championship. Moreover, there's been widespread intrigue in regards to how he recovers from his first MMA loss.
During his aforementioned interview with MMA Junkie, Raul Rosas Jr. alluded to the fact that his next opponent and exact comeback date haven't been officially announced as of yet. However, 'El Nino Problema' hinted that a fight announcement could be on the horizon. Insinuating that he's still chasing his dream of becoming a UFC champion, the bantamweight said:
"Just another fight. Like I said, we're still chasing the dream. So, right now, I'm just working hard and ready for what's next. For my next fight -- it should be -- I should be announcing it soon. And I should be getting a fight soon. So, I can't wait to be able to go back in this year and put on a show for the people." [*comments at the 5:10-minute mark in the interview]
