The 18-year-old Raul Rosas Jr. (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) defeated the 29-year-old Jay Perrin (10-7 MMA, 0-3 UFC) in his UFC debut and became the youngest fighter and winner in the UFC. The Mexican-born got his ticket to the UFC after defeating fellow Mexican Mando Gutierrez at Dana White’s Contender Series in September last year. And today, he has created an identity for himself among the UFC community. However, a recent clip of Rosas Jr. shows him cleaning table at a restaurant without being recognized. This viral clip has sparked concern among the fans who are not sure how to feel about this and brought up the UFC fighters’ pay issue in their response to it.
Fans put the blame on the UFC
In this video surfaced online, the Mexican native UFC fighter was spotted working in a restaurant while going unnoticed by the people present there. As soon as the clip caught the fans’ attention, they rushed to the comment section to put out their thoughts to it. Which, in turn, was more of a criticism towards the UFC.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
View this post on Instagram
Interestingly, Raul Rosas Jr. was awarded a rare $500k for his spectacular victory in his UFC debut. But post this video, the UFC faithfuls are concerned for the fighter’s financial status.
Check out how the fans reacted to this odd footage of ‘El Nino Problema’ cleaning table in the restaurant:
Several fans took a jab at the UFC by relating this clip with the fighters’ underpayment issue:
“How much he make from that ufc debut”
“Top tier sources have confirmed that this is higher wage then top 10 fighters… he’s getting that bread 🍞 🙌”
“Bro bought a minivan and cashed out lol”
“When the UFC. Underpays their athletes be like…😂”
Wherein others believed he’s not that big of a personality to get recognized by anyone:
“I wonder if they cared even if they knew”
“You either know him or you don’t. He has a very noticeable face thats hard to forget.”
“Probably Not. 😂. Only “We” Know Him. Stop It.”
“They don’t now but they will soon”
Having said that, it has definitely been a tough journey for the 18-year-old to make it to the UFC. As he is still in high-school whilst being the youngest winner in the UFC.
Raul Rosas Jr. struggled on his way up
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
During his pre-fight press conference, the 18-year-old revealed how he had to make the hard transition from being a regular, school-going teenager to dedicating his whole time training and becoming a fighter. Rosas Jr. stated that he has to switch to homeschooling and leave the conventional teenage life behind in pursuit of greatness.
Raul Rosas Jr. stated, “I actually didn’t know I was gonna have to make that type of sacrifice. Because I knew I was going to be in the UFC early, like, around this age, but for some reason, I didn’t think that I was still going to be in high school. Like, that didn’t cross my mind. So yeah, I had to leave school. But I mean, I wish I was still in school, like in regular school.” He further added, “I think that’s pretty fun, you know, like hanging out with friends… I had to take that away for me to become an even greater fighter than what I am today.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
But in the end, it did pay out well for the 18-year-old. Today he stands proud as the youngest UFC fighter and earned a solid reputation in the community, too. And looking at his pace, it won’t take long for him to become a renowned name around the world.
Watch this story: MMA News Round-Up: Dana White’s Action Gives Financial Troubles to UFC, Jake Paul Fight Contract Exposed, Volkanovski Recounts Zombie Fight
