Raul Rosas Jr., the youngest fighter to ever step into the octagon, lived up to the hype with an impressive win in the prelims of UFC 282.
All eyes were on Rosas Jr. as the 18-year-old made his UFC debut on December 10. After earning a fight contract on Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS), 'El Nino Problema' was matched up against Jay Perrin in a bantamweight scrap.
Rosas Jr. proved that he belonged in the UFC as he put his grappling prowess on display and submitted his opponent with a rear-naked choke in the opening seconds of the fight.
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In his post-fight octagon interview with Joe Rogan, Rosas Jr. channeled WWE legend Ric Flair and demanded a 'Performance of the Night' bonus worth $50,000 from UFC president Dana White:
"Dana, 50Gs! I would ask Santa Claus but I don't know if Santa Claus can give them to me right now after this fight. But hey, I need them 50 Gs so I can buy my mother a minivan and she can give me a ride to the P.I. [UFC Performance Institute]. Wooo!!!"
Raul Rosas Jr. is currently undefeated as a professional fighter and at UFC 282, he extended his record to 7-0.
Raul Rosas Jr. wants a quick turnaround fight
Raul Rosas Jr. made huge waves with his spectacular victory at UFC 282. In a backstage interaction, 'El Nino Problema' shared the emotions he was going through at the time.
The 18-year-old also stated that he was ready and willing to step inside the octagon again soon:
"I feel amazing. I was already expecting it and like, this is one of many more to come, you know? So, I thank god that I came out safe and I feel good. So, I'm ready to step back in there next Saturday or in Brazil, you know? Whenever I have to, I'm ready to go back in as soon as possible and enjoy the whole process. So, I'm living like [in] a movie right now."
UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling took to Twitter to shower praise on Rosas Jr. 'Funk Master' wished him good luck and said the 18-year-old's grappling skills were better than most athletes competing in the UFC today.