'This kid is special!' 17-year-old fighter makes UFC history
Rosas, nicknamed "El Nino Problema" (The Problem Child) made his professional debut just a year ago. Before the UFC came calling, he had five fights, all under the UWC Mexico banner, and won all of them - four by submission, one by TKO.
The bantamweight fighter was approached to be a part of the Dana White Contender Series, where the best unsigned prospects fight for the chance to get a UFC contract straight from the boss himself. Rosas beat American Mando Gutierrez (7-1 prior to the fight) by unanimous decision and caught the eye of Dana White.
“What a war, what a technical fight it was,” the UFC president said. “Both guys pushed themselves as hard as they could. For a 17-year-old to conduct himself the way he did in this fight, I was blown away by it. Blown away,” he added.
Rosas was praised by many for the way he controlled the fight, looking like a UFC vet in the octagon despite having just a year of experience. "So many things I love about this kid. He doesn't just lay there in the guard, he's always active, always going for the finish," White said when he awarded the teenager with the UFC contract.
"El Nino Problema" is now set to make his debut in the bantamweight division, perhaps the most stacked weight class of the UFC, where the likes of Petr Yan, TJ Dillashaw, Merab Dvalishvili or Marlon Vera look to challenge Aljamain Sterling for the most coveted prize. While his move is certainly headline-grabbing, several people raised the question if he is perhaps too young to compete in the UFC. "Not off what I just saw," Dana White said at a press conference. "This kid is ready to fight in the UFC. I’m very, very impressed with him. He’s absolutely special."
Rosas, who will turn 18 in October, is set to break the UFC record for the youngest fighter when he makes his official debut at one of the company's events. The record is currently held by Dan Lauzon, who debuted at 18 years and 198 days. It's not the only piece of history Rosas is looking to rewrite though.
"I know it won't be easy, but I will become the youngest UFC champion. At 19, 20, 21, I don't care what it takes," he mentioned at the press conference minutes after putting the pen to paper. That record is held by one of the GOATs (and another "problem child" to say the least) Jon "Bones" Jones, who beat Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at the age of 23 years and 8 months to claim the Light Heavyweight crown. Rosas has quite some time to work his way up a stacked division to challenge that feat.
