Raul Rosas Jr. (red gloves) fights Christian Rodriguez (blue gloves) during UFC 287 at Miami-Dade Arena. Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports

Sean O’Malley questions if UFC rushed 18-year-old prospect

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 4/12/23

Raul Rosas Jr. was fast-tracked to the UFC.

He made his promotional debut after just six professional fights, and oh by the way, he just turned 18 six months ago.

His age is why UFC bantamweight contender Sean O’Malley believes the UFC did him no favors by throwing him into the fire before he was ready, evidenced by Rosas Jr.’s first pro loss against Christian Rodriguez at UFC 287 on Saturday.

“I called that; I said I think Christian Rodriguez is going to be too much,” O’Malley said on his “Timbo Sugar Show” podcast. “(He) trains at a good [expletive] gym. Doesn’t mean Raul Rosas Jr. is done, but I mean, where do you go from here? Maybe you don’t even sign him at that age – you let him fight for two, three years, rack up some more wins. … But 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.”

"He's got a lot of growing to do": Dana White remains bullish on the bright future of 18-year-old Raul Rosas Jr. after his first loss.#UFC287 | Full story: https://t.co/PoG8NAdBc5 pic.twitter.com/MHqdAh1fm5
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) April 9, 2023

Rosas Jr. first caught the eye of UFC president Dana White on his "Contender Series" show in September 2022. Then 17, Rosas Jr. won a unanimous decision over 25-year-old Mando Gutierrez, who had a 7-1 pro record.

He then made his UFC debut three months later, submitting Jay Perrin 2:44 into the first round before taking a step up in competition against Rodriguez over the weekend.

Christian Rodriguez says he sees Raul Rosas Jr.'s potential: "I just think he needs to take his time and pick the right fights" #TheMMAHour pic.twitter.com/j7zv5jCTCS
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) April 10, 2023

O’Malley admitted there are some winnable fights in the 135-pound division for Rosas Jr., but he questioned if he would be better suited stepping away for a few years to focus on training and improving before coming back to make a serious run.

“He needs to go out there and get better,” O’Malley said. “Two years, take two years off, lift, [expletive] grind, just get good. ... Just don’t fight for a couple of years, get good. … Improve everywhere, come back, you’re 20 years old. He wants to be the youngest champ, maybe that humbled him. It’s not, not realistic. Take two years off, you’re 20, still have a possibility.”

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