Raul Rosas Jr., an 18-year-old with a single UFC fight under his belt, fires back at critics questioning his high-profile opportunity while more experienced fighters are sidelined, stating they should “take some notes and learn.”
At only 18 years old with a single fight in the UFC, Raul Rosas Jr. is already trash-talking like a seasoned veteran. Ahead of his fight against Christian Rodriguez at UFC 287, which kicks off the pay-per-view main card, Rosas responded to criticism about receiving such a high-profile opportunity from the UFC while ranked fighters and veterans with more experience aren’t getting the same consideration. In particular, Chris Curtis took exception, saying he was “salty as f***” that he got bumped down to the prelims “for a child.”
Rosas didn’t mention anybody’s name while firing back on Wednesday, but he certainly didn’t bite his tongue either. “I don’t know who said that, but at the end of the day, they’re all just hating and they should take some notes if they want to be on the pay-per-view main card,” Rosas said at UFC 287 media day. “They should take some notes and learn some stuff from me. I got in the UFC and I’m already on the pay-per-view, not like other ranked fighters that are prelim fighters. I don’t want to say names.” Rosas knows he worked hard to get where he is, whether anybody wants to acknowledge that fact or not. “I didn’t [expect it to happen this quickly], but I’m not surprised,” Rosas said. “Like I said, this spot on the pay-per-view wasn’t given, it was earned. I earned it through all my hard work and just everything I do.”
Rosas is still getting acclimated to his new reality, but this has always been his plan — even if it’s happening a little sooner than expected. “The only difference is the fame, like being more recognizable,” Rosas said. “But I’m still the same kid chasing my dreams. That’s pretty much it. Everything’s been exactly how I planned it. Exactly how I visualized it is just coming into reality, exactly how I did.” He knows that many people think his success may be too much, too soon, but none of that matters to Rosas, who had no problem vanquishing his last opponent, Jay Perrin, and is excited to do the same to Rodriguez.
“They can think whatever they want,” Rosas said. “Whatever gets their confidence higher, that’s better for me, because I saw Christian Rodriguez fight and I expect him to be 10 times better for this fight and still finish him the same way. There’s nothing that concerns me. He’s a good fighter but I’m just levels above, and I’m going to go out there and show it Saturday night. I think about this fight, this is a perfect fight, because if I’m not wrong, he’s a prospect too, and that’s exactly the fight I needed. So I can show that I’m levels above these prospects and I’m ready to fight in the top 15.” Rosas added that ideally he would like to fight four times in 2023 because he’s not interested in wasting time as he stalks his goal to become the UFC champion.