Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight prospects Raul Rosas Jr. and Christian Rodriguez will throw down this weekend (Sat., April 8, 2023) at UFC 287 inside Miami-Dade Arena in Miami, Florida.
Rosas Jr. took the Octagon by storm last fall, winning his Contenders Series debut, celebrating his 18th birthday, and then showing out in his first official UFC fight in a three-month span. “El Nino Problema” has championship aspirations, but he’ll first have to settle for a strong sophomore performance in his pay-per-view (PPV) launch. His opponent “Ceerod” is just 25 years of age himself, a Roufusport-trained product who enters his third UFC bout following a bonus-winning submission over Joshua Weems.
Let’s take a closer look at the keys to victory for each man:
Record: 7-0
Key Wins: Jay Perrin (UFC 282), Mando Gutierrez (Contenders Series 2022)
Key Losses: None
Keys to Victory: Rosas Jr. fights full of confidence, as one would expect of an undefeated teenager riding a major wave of momentum. His best aspect is clearly his Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which has also served him well on the competitive grappling scene at a pretty high level. In the cage, his Brazilian jiu-jitsu skill is complemented by aggressive chain wrestling.
Rosas Jr. isn’t ineffective on his feet, but he’s definitely more raw in that realm. Conversely, Rodriguez’s high-volume kickboxing packs a solid punch, and he puts his combinations together like a far more experienced Bantamweight. Clearly, the game plan here is to wrestle.
Fortunately for Rosas Jr., that’s precisely how Jonathan Pearce defeated Rodriguez (admittedly up a weight class). One of Rosas Jr.’s best attributes is his conditioning and ability to push a pace, so combining non-stop offense with frequent takedown attempts reads like the best way to prevent Rodriguez from getting going and allow Rosas Jr. to keep the match in his realm of expertise.
Christian Rodriguez
Record: 8-1
Key Wins: Joshua Weems (UFC Vegas 63), Junior Cortez (Contenders Series 2021)
Key Losses: Jonathan Pearce (UFC Vegas 48)
Keys to Victory: Rodriguez fights with the skill and composure of an older veteran. He’s got a wrestling background, but Rodriguez finds just as much success with his kickboxing, and he’s capable of finishing the fight on the floor and feet alike.
Rosas Jr. wants a grappling match, and typically, the antidote to that approach is the classic sprawl-and-brawl game plan. In this case, however, Rodriguez has the wrestling and jiu-jitsu skill to actively counter Rosas Jr. Often, when grapplings chain wrestle as aggressively as Rosas Jr., there are opportunities to score reversals or threaten the neck.
A couple successful counter moments like those will really help Rodriguez calm Rosas Jr.’s grappling attack. At that point, Rodriguez will be able to more effectively and confidently build his stand up attack. By punishing transition attempts and bad shots, Rodriguez makes it far more likely that Rosas Jr. doesn’t just keep insisting upon a wrestling match.
This is a fun fight between talented young Bantamweights.
Rosas Jr. is in position to become a star. At the very least, his youth has him standing out from the highly skilled Bantamweight pack, and a second-straight victory to kick off his UFC career in such a high-profile spot should really help build his fanbase further. The whole triple champ aspirations seems like a bit much, but there’s no reason fans won’t watch him try to achieve great things if he continues to win.
On the flip side, Rodriguez is not a known name just yet. Fortunately, this is an opportunity to change that! Average Bantamweights do not find themselves in PPV openers just three fights into their UFC career, so this is a rare occasion. If Rodriguez can upset Rosas Jr., he stills a bit of shine and fame, becoming a more standout 135-pounder in the process.
I got Rosas Jr closing a huge parlay, we gonna crush the closing line so hopefully he wins and we get paid $$$$$
Definitely a decent fight. I don’t see Rosas losing. Not really familiar with his opponent though.
Rosas gonna learn this fight
Thank god he’s a fighter
I almost feel like a sociopath for rooting against a dude based on his facial structure but fuck that ugly pinche indio.hes cocky too .should be a crime to be that ugly and cocky
UFC bantamweight Christian Rodriguez is looking to put a firm halt to the hype behind Raul Rosas Jr.'s name — and he’s confident of doing just that by avoiding the 18-year-old’s “one” strength.
Rosas Jr. will be making his second walk to the Octagon this weekend at UFC 287. “El Niño Problema” burst onto the scene last September when he secured a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series at the age of just 17.
And the records kept tumbling three months later at UFC 282, where Rosas Jr. submitted Jay Perrin inside one round to become the youngest winner in the promotion’s history.
“I see that he’s very good. He’s a very, very good grappler,” Rodriguez said. "But I feel that’s all he brings to the table. But I do respect his skillset. I do respect how good his grappling is. So it’s not like I’m overlooking him or anything like that… I feel his striking (is good), but I feel more of his game is striking to set up his grappling. So, I do feel I’m more confident in my striking than his.
If u wanna sound like him.
Stick Ur tongue out of Ur mouth to the side,
then say a sentence
(This is him after the UFC photoshopped him)
He’s probably look better if he shaved his pube/Jew curls