Raúl Rosas Jr.

Raúl Gilberto Rosas Rios Jr. (born October 8, 2004) is a Mexican and American mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Rosas Jr. was featured on Dana White's Contender Series, winning by decision and earning himself a UFC contract thus becoming the youngest person to be signed to the UFC in their history at 17 years, 11 months, 12 days old. Rojas Jr is also the youngest fighter to ever enter the UFC rankings at 21 years old.

Early life Rosas Jr.'s parents initially immigrated to the United States from Iztapalapa, a district of Mexico City, Mexico. They settled in the city of Clovis, New Mexico, where Raul was born.

At 13 years old, the family moved to Santa Rosa, California. He began wrestling in high school and participated in pankration, an amateur sport similar to MMA. After a few years in Santa Rosa, Rosas Jr.'s parents made the decision to take their sons' wrestling career a step further. As an amateur, and at just 14 years old, he participated in the IMMAF world championships in Rome, where he was able to win gold.

Mixed martial arts career Early career Rosas Jr. acquired a record of 5–0 competing exclusively in Tijuana, Mexico, for the Ultimate Warrior Challenge Mexico promotion winning all five fights by stoppage inside of two rounds.

Dana White's Contender Series Season Rosas Jr. was then booked to compete on Week 9 of Season 6 of Dana White's Contender Series on September 20, 2022, against Mando Gutierrez. He would win the fight via a dominant unanimous decision and was awarded a contract by Dana White thus becoming the youngest fighter to sign a contract with the UFC at the age of 17.

Ultimate Fighting Championship After earning his contract, Rosas Jr. made his UFC debut at UFC 282 against Jay Perrin on December 10, 2022. He won the fight via first round submission and this became the youngest person to ever win a UFC fight. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.

Rosas Jr. faced Christian Rodriguez on April 8, 2023, at UFC 287. At the weigh-ins, Rodriguez weighed in at 137 pounds, one pound over the bantamweight non-title fight limit. His bout proceeded at catchweight and he was fined 20% of his purse which went to Rosas Jr. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Rosas Jr. faced Terence Mitchell on September 16, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 227. He won the fight via technical knockout inside the first minute. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.

Rosas Jr. was scheduled to face Ricky Turcios on February 24, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 237. However, Rosas Jr. was forced withdraw just before the bout was expected to begin due to an illness. As a result, the bout was initially pushed back one week to UFC Fight Night 238 on March 2, 2024. In turn, the bout was ultimately scrapped for unknown reasons. The fight would then be rescheduled to UFC on ESPN 57 on June 8, 2024. He won the fight via rear-naked choke in the second round. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.

Rosas Jr. faced Aori Qileng on September 14, 2024, at UFC 306. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Rosas Jr. faced Vince Morales on March 29, 2025 at UFC on ESPN 64. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Rosas Jr. was scheduled to face Rob Font on September 13, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 259. However, Rosas Jr. had to withdraw due to an injury and was replaced by David Martínez. The re-scheduled bout took place on March 7, 2026, at UFC 326. Rosas Jr. won the fight by unanimous decision.

Rosas Jr. is scheduled to face Raoni Barcelos in the main event on September 26, 2026, at UFC Fight Night 289.

Submission grappling career Rosas Jr. faced the former two-time UFC Flyweight Champion Deiveson Figueiredo in a submission grappling match at Hype FC Brazil: Sao Paulo on April 8, 2026. The bout ended in a draw.

Personal life Raúl's older brother, Jessie, who is also a mixed martial artist competing in the UFC.

Championships and accomplishments Mixed martial arts Ultimate Fighting Championship Performance of the Night (Three times) Youngest fighter to win a UFC bout (18 years, 2 months) Youngest fighter to win five UFC bouts (20 years, 5 months) Highest control time percentage in UFC Bantamweight division history (56.9%) Second highest top position percentage in UFC Bantamweight division history (47.7%) Tied (Sean Sherk) for fourth most takedowns landed in a bout (16) Third most takedowns landed in a three round bout (16) MMA Junkie 2022 Newcomer of the Year MMA Fighting 2022 Third Team MMA All-Star

Mixed martial arts record Win

Rob Font Decision (unanimous) UFC 326

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Vince Morales Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Moreno vs. Erceg

Mexico City, Mexico Win

Aori Qileng Decision (unanimous) UFC 306

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Ricky Turcios Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC on ESPN: Cannonier vs. Imavov

Louisville, Kentucky, United States Win

Terrence Mitchell TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Christian Rodriguez Decision (unanimous) UFC 287

Miami, Florida, United States Win

Jay Perrin Submission (face crank) UFC 282

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Mando Gutierrez Decision (unanimous) Dana White's Contender Series 55

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Andres Portocarrero TKO (punches) UWC Mexico 35

Tijuana, Mexico Win

Jose Guadalupe Peñaloza Submission (rear-naked choke) UWC Mexico 34

Tijuana, Mexico Win

Francisco Villanueva Submission (armbar) UWC Mexico 33

Tijuana, Mexico Win

Joel Peña Submission (armbar) UWC Mexico 32

Tijuana, Mexico Win

Eduardo Velázquez Submission (rear-naked choke) UWC Mexico 30

Tijuana, Mexico Amateur mixed martial arts record Win

Donaldo Duran Submission (armbar) UWC Mexico 26

Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico Win

Luke Pham Submission (choke) Bear River FC 12

Loleta, California, United States Win

Alex Williams Decision (unanimous) 2019 IMMAF Youth World Championships

Ostia, Rome, Italy Win

Jack Grundy Submission (armbar) 2019 IMMAF Youth World Championships

Ostia, Rome, Italy Win

Stanislav Abramov Decision (unanimous) 2019 IMMAF Youth World Championships

Ostia, Rome, Italy Win

Lucas Afif Submission (rear-naked choke) 2019 IMMAF Youth World Championships

Ostia, Rome, Italy