Raul Rosas Jr. is set to make history this Saturday night when he makes his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut.
18-year-old Rosas Jr. will be the youngest fighter to step foot into the Octagon at UFC 282. Emanating from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Rosas Jr. will face 10-6 bantamweight Jay Perrin in the featured prelim. Just days away from his big debut, ‘El Nino Problema’ got a big boost of motivation from former two-division UFC champion, Conor McGregor. Responding to a clip of Rosas Jr. speaking bout his UFC 282 opponent, McGregor tweeted:
“That’s incredible! The youngest ever. Good luck young man, in your career with the @ufc.”
That’s incredible! The youngest ever. Good luck young man, in your career with the @ufc. https://t.co/11obs8F9t8
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) December 8, 2022
Fans first became aware of Raul Rosas Jr. in September when he appeared on Dana White’s Contender Series at just 17 years old. Rosas Jr. entered the bout 5-0 in his mixed martial arts career with four submission victories and a single win by knockout. Though he didn’t get the finish over his DWCS opponent Mando Gutierrez in his Contender Series bout, he was nothing short of impressive, earning a contract from UFC President Dana White.
Jay Perrin, who is 11 years the elder of Rosas Jr. will look to play spoiler on Saturday. He will also be looking for his first win inside the Octagon. Debuting for the promotion in February, Perrin has dropped back-to-back bouts to Mario Bautista and Aorqileng.
Saturday’s UFC 282 event will also feature a main event showdown for the vacant light heavyweight title as former champion Jan Blachowicz faces Magomed Ankalaev. The co-main event will see fast-rising fan favorite Paddy Pimblett return to the Octagon to face his toughest test yet, Jared ‘Flash’ Gordon. The event will air live on ESPN+ pay-per-view.