Raul Rosas Jr. responds to critics 'jealous' of his spot on UFC 287 main card, asks them to take notes

Raul Rosas Jr. has responded to critics who think he shouldn’t be on the UFC 287 pay-per-view main card.

After winning his UFC debut in December 2022, Rosas Jr. will make his second Octagon appearance on April 8. The eighteen-year-old has become a phenomenon in the UFC, but some people believe his lack of experience should prevent him from fighting on a PPV.

During the UFC 287 media day, ‘El Nino Problema’ responded to the critics by saying:

“I don’t know who said that, but at the end of the day, they’re all just hating and they should take some notes if they want to be on the pay-per-view card. They should take some notes and learn some stuff from me. I got in the UFC and I’m already on the pay-per-view, not like other ranked fighters that are prelim fighters. I don’t want to say names.” [7:47-8:09]

Chris Curtis was the fighter to voice his frustration about Rosas Jr. competing on a pay-per-view. Curtis believes his UFC 287 featured preliminary matchup against Kelvin Gastelum should be on the main card. Instead, Rosas Jr. vs. Christian Rodriguez will open the PPV portion on April 8.

Watch Raul Rosas Jr. at the UFC 287 media day below:

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Raul Rosas Jr. isn’t concerned about ‘a good fighter’ like Christian Rodriguez

Christian Rodriguez holds a UFC record of 1-1, with his last fight being a first-round submission win against Joshua Weems in October 2022. Although Raul Rosas Jr. is a highly-touted prospect, Rodriguez should not be overlooked. With that said, ‘El Nino Problema’ isn’t concerned about the skills of ‘CeeRod’:

“There’s nothing that concerns me. He’s a good fighter but I’m just levels above, and I’m going to go out there and show it Saturday night. I think about this fight, this is a perfect fight, because if I’m not wrong, he’s a prospect too, and that’s exactly the fight that I needed. So I can show that I’m levels above these prospects and I’m ready to fight in the top 15.” [2:07-2:28]

Rosas Jr. made his professional MAM debut in October 2021, securing a first-round submission win. The New Mexico native managed to fight six times in 2022, winning all of them, including five inside the distance. The eighteen-year-old will look to ride his momentum into his second Octagon appearance at UFC 287.