Raul Rosas Jr. Eyes UFC History With Bold Youngest Champion Claim

Raul Rosas Jr. is on the path to keeping his championship dreams alive after yet another important UFC victory. The 21-year-old bantamweight has been on a six-fight winning streak and believes that he is only a couple of victories away from putting himself in a position to fight for the belt and potentially rewrite the UFC record books. 

Raul Rosas Jr. Believes UFC Title Dream is Within Reach 

Rosas Jr. was fully aware of the enormous step in his path up the bantamweight rankings when he entered the UFC Vegas 121 against Raoni Barcelos. The 21-year-old stepped up in the fifth round of the co-main event, stopping the surging Brazilian and adding to his six-fight winning streak. 

His rise continues after posting consecutive wins over Aoriqileng, Vince Morales, and Rob Font. His rapid rise has been especially impressive, given he was the youngest fighter ever to sign with the UFC when he landed the deal at just 17 in 2022. 

Rosas Jr. has always talked up his ambition to become the youngest UFC champ in history. In fact, he made a statement with Full Send MMA prior to his clash with Barcelos that breaking the record was still his goal. 

"Yeah, that's the goal," Rosas said. "I think right now I'm on a good path. Winning this main event, I think, puts me in a very good position to keep chasing that dream."

His goal remains alive after his most recent victory. Soon after the Barcelos fight, Rosas stated just how pressured he felt right before heading into the matchup. 

"I feel like it's obtainable," Rosas explained. "That's why in this fight, it was all or nothing. If I lost the fight, the dream is done, so I knew I had to win this fight."

Moreover, Rosas believes that the UFC can easily accelerate his steady rise as he keeps beating established opponents. 

"I think my next fight is probably gonna be a pretty good name," Rosas exclaimed. "The fights are not gonna get any easier than Saturday." 

Rosas is not looking too far ahead, as he believes that just two or three more victories could easily put him close to the title opportunity. 

"I like to focus step by step because every opponent on the way is tough, but I think two or three more fights can get me up there." 

Rosas Jr. Chasing Jon Jones' UFC Record 

 The record holder whom Rosas is vying for right now is Jon Jones. The latter set the mark for the youngest UFC champion at 23 years and 243 days after defeating Mauricio "Shogun" Rua to win the light heavyweight division title at UFC 128 in March 2011. 

Despite being only 21, Rosas has a decent window to break Jones' record. However, the bantamweight division might prove to be a greater challenge than the light heavyweight one. With his latest victory adding yet another step to his climb, Rosas holds his sights to an even bigger goal.