Raul Rosas Jr. became the youngest fighter in UFC history when he made his debut at age 18, and now that he's just a few months away from being out of his teens, he's realizing just how much his body has grown.
The 19-year-old bantamweight phenom improved to 3-1 inside the Octagon with a submission of Ricky Turcios in the headlining bout at UFC Louisville earlier this month. One thing that stands out about Rosas is how much bigger and more muscular he has become.
Rosas himself has noticed the change and knows the time will come when he will move up to featherweight.
“I started gaining weight and it got a little tougher to cut and I noticed I was getting bigger,” Rosas said. MMA Hour“I'm continuing to train, but I think it's mainly because my body is growing. I'm getting older and I'm growing, so I think that will continue.”
“The question is, how long can I stay? [135]”I'd like to stay at 35 until I win the belt, but we'll see what happens. … Moving up to 145 is inevitable, but the question is how long I can stay at 135.”
The bout with Turcios was one of the most heated matches of the night, and that was evident in the final showdown after the weigh-ins and the first few seconds of the bout.
As the referee called the bout to begin, Rosas attempted a glove touch, but Turcios instead landed a kick on his opponent, which caused the crowd to rally against Turcios and cheer even louder for Rosas.
“I think he was just emotional,” Rosas said. “There was a lot of pressure fighting me, with the crowd watching and all that, and I think that made him act a little weird.”
“In the face-off, [the] pressure [on him]He seemed nervous and a little different than usual due to the pressure.
