Sean O’Malley suggests that 18-year-old UFC fighter Raul Rosas Jr. should take two years off to improve his skills and come back stronger after his first career setback.
Sean O’Malley believes that Raul Rosas Jr. should take some time off after losing a unanimous decision to Christian Rodriguez at UFC 287, just four months after making history as the youngest fighter in UFC history. Rosas, who signed with Dana White’s Contender Series at just 17 years old after a 7-0 start in November 2021, expressed a desire to become the youngest UFC champion. The current record is held by Jon Jones, who became the UFC light heavyweight champion in 2011 at the age of 23 (and 242 days).
In his TimboSugarShow podcast, O’Malley suggested that Rosas focus on improvement and take a break from fighting for up to two years. He said, “There’s definitely guys in the division that he can go out there and beat, but I don’t even think he needs to go out there and get a win, he needs to go out there and get better. Two years, take two years off. Lift. F****** grind. Just get good. … Just don’t fight for a couple of years, get good.” O’Malley argues that by taking this break, Rosas could still have a possibility of achieving his goal of becoming the youngest champ.
O’Malley also questioned Rosas’ training approach, speculating whether he was training with fighters that are too accommodating to his grappling-heavy style. At UFC 287, Rosas continually attempted to initiate grapples with Rodriguez, which eventually led to his energy depletion and loss. Having been signed himself from the Contender Series at 22, O’Malley believes that Rosas needs to reflect on his performance and assess his strategy.
O’Malley claimed he predicted Rodriguez would be too much for Rosas and questioned whether signing him at such a young age was the right move. He said, “Maybe you don’t even sign him at that age. You let him fight for two or three years, rack up some more wins, this kid’s coming in 15-0, undefeated. The UFC, that’s the risk they’re willing to take. ‘Hey, we’re going to have a potential star.’ He still can be. I don’t know.”