UFC 287 tips: Young starlet Raul Rosas Jr looks to impress again against Christian Rodriguez
- Liam Hampton
- 7 April 2023
Young phenom Raul Rosas Jr returns to the octagon for his sophomore outing, squaring off against an entertaining finisher in Christian Rodriguez.
Much of Rosas' hype comes from his age, at only 18 years old "El Nino Problema" is the youngest fighter on the roster, and his big dreams defy his young age.
In an interview with BBC Sport, Rosas spoke about breaking the record for youngest champion in UFC history held by Jon Jones.
"Not in five years - I'm going to be champion when I'm 20 or 21 at the latest,"
With a slick submission arsenal at his disposal, Rosas has had a great start to UFC life, submitting Jay Perrin in the opening round of his debut.
His opponent is a much sterner test though, Christian Rodriguez is also a young man on the roster at 25 years old and his own submission skills are very impressive.
After a short notice debut up at featherweight didn't go his way, Rodriguez returned to bantamweight for his bout against Joshua Weems, submitting him with an anaconda choke in the opening round.
Rodriguez represents a big step up in competition, if Rosas can get past him then it will be a huge feather in his cap and separates him from previous young prospects who promised the world and delivered much less.
Not wanting to be seen as a lamb sent to slaughter, Rodriguez will be extra motivated to derail the UFC's latest prodigy, hoping to send the Mexican back to the playground at the school of hard knocks.
Key stats
Rosas has only been out of the first round on two occasions in his career.
88% of Rodriguez's wins have come by finish.
Suggested bets
Fight to go the distance - No.
