Former double UFC champion Conor McGregor voiced his support for Raul Rosas Jr. ahead of his fight at UFC 282.
Rosas Jr. will become the youngest debuting UFC fighter when he faces Jay Perrin at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. He earned a contract at Dana White’s Contender Series with a win over Mando Gutierrez in September.
McGregor took to Twitter and provided encouraging words for the 18-year-old.
“That’s incredible! The youngest ever. Good luck young man, in your career with the UFC,” McGregor said.
UFC president Dana White was impressed by Rosas Jr’s performance at DWCS. During his post-fight interview, White admitted that he was “blown away” by the then 17-year-old’s composure in the fight.
“I’m very very impressed with this kid. He’s absolutely special,” White said. “The amount of fighters that were blowing me up going ‘Oh my god. this kid’s for real, this kid’s legit’. Impressive.”
Raul Rosas Jr. Wants To Make A Statement
Rosas Jr. (6-0) has made his intentions clear. Like McGregor, he wants to make history. He plans on becoming the youngest UFC champion ever at 20 years old. The record is currently held by Jon Jones, who won the UFC light heavyweight title at 23 years old. Rosas Jr. will have to start his title journey by trying to defeat Perrin this weekend.
The 29-year-old Perrin is off to an 0-2 start in the UFC. During UFC 282 media day, Perrin acknowledged Rosas Jr’s skills but dismissed his dream to be the youngest UFC champion. Rosas Jr. didn’t take too kindly to his opponent’s words and vowed to prove him wrong.
The Mexico-born fighter admitted that he’s had to sacrifice a lot of things to make his MMA career work. He’s not able to live a regular teenage lifestyle, including participating in high school activities or hanging out with friends on a regular basis.
“I think it’s about how bad I want it,” Rosas Jr. said. “So, I’m willing to do anything. Whatever it takes for me to get whatever I want. So, that’s what it took, so that’s what I had to do.”
“El Niño Problema” has five finishes in his six-fight career so far. He’s looking to make an impact and create more history at UFC 282. With a win, he’ll become the youngest fighter to secure a win in the UFC.
