Did The UFC Rush Raul Rosas Jr.?
Raul Rosas Jr. got signed to the UFC at just 17-years-old. At just 18, he found himself opening the UFC 287 main card against Christian Rodriguez. That fight did not go his way, however. That begs the question, did the UFC rush Rosas?
Rosas is a great prospect and deserves his spot on the UFC roster. On Dana White’s Contender Series, he demonstrated a lot of impressive skills. Those skills allowed him to get a great first-round submission victory over Jay Perrin at UFC 282.
The UFC proceeded to give Rosas a massive step up in competition after his first UFC win. The difference between Perrin and Rodriguez is gigantic. In the stats alone, Perrin is 10-7 in MMA and 0-3 in the UFC while Rodriguez entered the fight with an 8-1 MMA record and 1-1 in UFC. That one loss came against Jonathan Pearce in a featherweight bout on short notice.
The biggest difference between these two is that Rodriguez is a really solid grappler. In the past, he has shown the ability to defend against grappling-heavy fighters. The bout against Rosas was no different. He was able to defend the early grappling onslaught without gassing out.
So, not only was Rosas given a massive step up in competition, but it was a tough stylistic matchup. That makes the verdict simple: Yes, the UFC rushed Rosas. It would have been smarter to give him a few more fighters near the bottom of the bantamweight division before he entered the higher tier that Rodriguez sits in.
In the UFC’s defense, hindsight is 20-20. If Rosas would have made quick work of Rodriguez, he would have been on a quick path to stardom. That dream is still alive too. At 18, Rosas has plenty of time to make the improvements necessary to reach UFC gold. Still, a fighter of Rodriguez caliber was thrown in front of him a little too soon at UFC 287.
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