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Raul Rosas Jr.'s UFC debut date and opponent are set just a few weeks after his 18th birthday. He will be facing Jay Perrin in a bantamweight bout. Both of them are managed by Iridium Sports Agency.
Rosas Jr. and Jay Perrin will share the Octagon at UFC 282, a forthcoming pay-per-view event slated for December 10 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, according to an announcement from Iridium Sports Agency in a tweet.
When Rosas Jr. made his debut on Dana White's Contender Series in September, there was a lot of buzz surrounding him. Rosas Jr., who was then 17 years old, needed parental clearance signatures and special commission authorization to compete as a minor.
After being given the go-ahead to compete, Rosas Jr. easily destroyed Mando Gutierrez, 25, in a unanimous decision. After that, Dana White made a job offer. Rosas Jr. became the UFC's youngest fighter ever as a result. The now 18-year-old's record as a pro extended to 6-0 with the victory over Gutierrez.
Rosas Jr. participated in regional competitions in Mexico before his DWCS appearance. Rosas Jr. declared he had great expectations for his UFC career and set his sights on becoming the organization's youngest champion before his much-anticipated arrival.
“Everybody should not be surprised,” Rosas Jr. told Laura Sanko after Contender Series. “I’m the new king in here, so I’m coming for that belt now.
“I’m gonna be champion when I’m 20. Respect to everybody, but I’m gonna be champion when I’m 20, or even earlier. Nobody is gonna stop me. All I see is gold, and I’m coming for that belt.
Rosas Jr. is determined to make a life out of this big opportunity as he wants to pay his parents for the sacrifices, they have made for him. Raul Sr. and Oyuki were aware that their sons had a talent for combat sports and that living in the United States would not satisfy their children's desire to become professional fighters. Jessie and Raul Jr. required something that Clovis, New Mexico was unable to provide.
“I’m very grateful for my parents because we lived in a small town – Clovis, New Mexico,” Raul Jr. said. “And we were comfortable. We had everything, and they left it all behind, so we could move forward in life.
“At Clovis, we reached a point where we couldn’t grow in level (in MMA), so we moved to Santa Rosa, California. We left everything – family, everything. And we moved into a tiny apartment. We shared a living room between like five people, and there was a lot of us in the apartment. It was like 12 people. But thanks to my parents and their sacrifice, we’re here. And yeah, we get tired of eating Arroz and frijoles, and I told them jokingly, ‘Only rib-eye from now on.’
“But yeah, I want to help out my family to move forward, and so we can continue moving up.”
Perrin is still without a UFC victory. At UFC Vegas 48 and UFC 278 respectively, Mario Bautista and Aoriqileng defeated the "Joker." The former Cage Titans FC bantamweight champion had won his previous two matches.
UFC 282 is headlined by a light heavyweight championship rematch between Jiří Procházka and Glover Teixeira.
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