- Raul Rosas Jr. punched his way to the UFC with a performance Tuesday that belied his years.
- Rosas, 17, won a fight in front of Dana White during an audition and scored a UFC contract.
LAS VEGAS — A fighter's mother could be seen celebrating her son's success when he broke a UFC record Tuesday.
Raul Rosas Jr., 17, beat Mando Gutierrez in the penultimate bout of a midweek MMA event called Contender Series that took place inside the Apex TV studio in Las Vegas.
Rosas was matched against a grappler in Gutierrez, but the youngster was the one who dominated exchanges when the fight went to the mat.
Though he didn't have it all his own way, Rosas showed he had tremendous heart and punch resistance, while also exhibiting agility and calmness under pressure that belied his years.
One of the fighter's highlight-reel moments was when he duped Gutierrez into thinking he was launching a flying knee, before transitioning quickly into a takedown.
—UFC (@ufc) September 21, 2022
Rosas and Gutierrez's bantamweight bout was one of the most entertaining scraps of the night, and it was one the teenager fully deserved to win, as three Octagonside judges rewarded him with a unanimous decision verdict.
The three-round win was enough to impress Dana White, who rewarded the the teen with a full-time UFC contract. Rosas is now the youngest fighter the UFC has ever had on its roster.
Few celebrated the result as fervently as the fighter's mother.
—UFC (@ufc) September 21, 2022
White was stunned at what Rosas could do at just 17 years old
"Obviously, an incredible fight," UFC boss White said on the broadcast at the time.
"This kid is so high-level for 17 years old. So many things I love about this kid. I love how he just doesn't lay there in the guard, he's always active, he's always busy, and he's always going for the finish."
White then marveled at what should have been a difference in strength between "a 25-year-old man and a 17-year-old kid … you didn't see it this fight at all.
"I can't wait to see what this kid looks like at 22," White finished, ushering Rosas to join him to receive his UFC deal.
—UFC (@ufc) September 21, 2022
At a post-event press conference, White then said: "I'm very, very impressed with this kid. He's absolutely special."
White said a good indicator of how special Rosas could be, is how his cell was blowing up during and after the win over Gutierrez.
"The amount of fighters that have been calling me up, going: 'Oh my God, this kid is for real'," White said.
"It's impressive."