Raul Rosas Jr. still has the same big goals he had when he entered the UFC.
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On Saturday, Rosas steps into the octagon for the eighth when he takes on Raoni Barcelos in the main event of UFC Vegas 121. It's Rosas' first UFC main event, and still only 21 years old, he believes a big win on Saturday keeps him on the right track toward making history by becoming the youngest UFC champion ever.
“Yeah, that's the goal,†Rosas told Full Send MMA. “I think right now I'm on a good path. Winning this main event, I think, puts my in a very good position to keep chasing that dream.â€
Even if Rosas does score a big win on Saturday, he's still in a race against time. “El Niño Problema†turns 22 in a couple of weeks, and Jon Jones currently holds the record for youngest UFC champion, winning the light heavyweight title at 23 years and 243 days. That gives Rosas under two years to work his way up the stacked bantamweight ladder, something he realizes is no easy feat.
“I've got to be ready for short notice fights, be willing to take risks, and this Saturday, make a big statement for sure,†Rosas said. “Not just a win, but I've got to make a statement.â€
But even if Rosas achieves his dreams and breaks Jones' record, don't expect a long title reign. Because Rosas doesn't just want to rush his way to a title, he also wants to get out of the sport quickly, too.
“Yeah, if by 25 I accomplish everything that I want to accomplish in my career, I'm just going to step back from the sport,†Rosas said. “The goal is to get the belt and then defend it a couple of times, try to challenge myself, go up a weight class, maybe two, and after I'm done, like, I run out of goals, that's when I'm just gonna quit. It could be 26, 27, 28, but I'm just saying whenever I'm done with my goals, that's when I'm gonna step out of the game.â€
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Jose Aldo was actually champion at nearly 6 months younger than Jon, but since the UFC didn't officially fold the WEC into its organization until long after Zuffa acquired it, he was only the de fact UFC featherweight champion, and Jon is technically the youngest UFC champion.
I always feel its important to note that because people desperately want to forget how incredible Jose Aldo was.
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